WATCH: In Jerusalem forest, spiders weave their magic
Science and nature combined to create the unusual sight.
By REUTERSUpdated: NOVEMBER 8, 2017 08:36In Jerusalem forest, spiders weave their magic (Reuters)
On the banks of a creek near Jerusalem stands an enchanted forest, its trees shrouded by giant cobwebs woven by long-jawed spiders.Science and nature combined to create the unusual sight: the Soreq creek largely contains treated sewage full of nutrients that promote the proliferation of mosquitoes that serve as a source of food for spiders, which then reproduce in multitudes."It's an exceptional case," said arachnophile Igor Armicach, a doctoral student at Hebrew University’s Arachnid Collection.Igor Armicach, a doctoral student at Hebrew University's Arachnid Collection, looks onto giant spider webs, spun by long-jawed spiders (Tetragnatha), along the Soreq creek bank, near Jerusalem November 7, 2017. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)He said millions of long-jawed spiders created the webbing that envelops the forest, a phenomenon rarely seen in the Middle East.But while spider egg sacs and spiderlings are everywhere along the banks of the creek, the future is bleak. Colder temperatures will soon cause a drastic drop in the mosquito population that sustains the web-weavers.
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