The Horrifying ‘Spider Trees’ Of Pakistan

By on April 5, 2011 in News 60

Ah, the wonders and surprises of Mother Nature. The 2010 floods in Pakistan caused an unexpected evolution in arachnoid behavior — to escape the rising waters, millions of spiders took to living in trees. The UK’s Department for International Development has an eye-popping Flickr gallery of what is now typical across Pakistan. The sticky, web-cocooned trees have proven extremely effective at catching pests and curbed the mosquito population. (The trees in the below picture are festooned with dead bugs.)

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  • http://www.jv21.com/ John V. Keogh

    That would put me off climbing trees.

  • http://www.jv21.com/ John V. Keogh

    That would put me off climbing trees.

  • GoodDoktorBad

    Giant sticky Q-tips. Apparently the spiders are coping well. Great survival strategy!

    • justagirl

      spiders don’t have ears. duh.

      • Navysealteam7

        Wow, you really are, ‘just-a-girl’, lol

        • justagirl

          wow, genius – you have just been promoted to “chef”.

  • http://www.newsblok.com newsblok.com

    very interesting how creatures adapt to adversity.

  • Anonymous

    Giant sticky Q-tips. Apparently the spiders are coping well. Great survival strategy!

  • http://www.newsblok.com newsblok.com

    very interesting how creatures adapt to adversity.

  • Andrew

    Fewer mosquitos and less malaria? As usual, the horrifying is apparently beneficial.

  • Andrew

    Fewer mosquitos and less malaria? As usual, the horrifying is apparently beneficial.

  • DeepCough

    If I were Little Miss Muffet, I’d stay the fuck away from that.

  • DeepCough

    If I were Little Miss Muffet, I’d stay the fuck away from that.

    • http://twitter.com/llotek1 Daniel Enright

      ahhhh…man that was funny, so didnt expect it..good one

  • mrtastycakes

    BOMB PAKISTAN. DEPOSE THE SPIDERS.

  • mrtastycakes

    BOMB PAKISTAN. DEPOSE THE SPIDERS.

  • mrtastycakes

    BOMB PAKISTAN. DEPOSE THE SPIDERS.

  • mrtastycakes

    BOMB PAKISTAN. DEPOSE THE SPIDERS.

    • daveDOOMoops

      glad I don’t taste your cakes

  • Simiantongue

    If spiders did this for no apparent reason, if there was a lack of evolutionary pressure to do such, THEN it would be unexpected. Taking to the trees like this in a flood risk area, obviously, spiders who had done this survived longer and bred more than spider who didn’t. Whats so unexpected about that?

  • Simiantongue

    If spiders did this for no apparent reason, if there was a lack of evolutionary pressure to do such, THEN it would be unexpected. Taking to the trees like this in a flood risk area, obviously, spiders who had done this survived longer and bred more than spider who didn’t. Whats so unexpected about that?

    • Video_nomad

      What’s unexpected, is that we didn’t expect it. As in, scientists did not predict it beforehand, as they had never seen spiders exhibit this particular behavior before. The evolution isn’t unexpected, it’s the form that it took.

  • Haha

    they watched man vs wild too, kewl!!

  • Haha

    they watched man vs wild too, kewl!!

  • Isright

    glad I don’t taste your cakes

  • http://twitter.com/TheNiallist Niall O’Conghaile

    “Horrifying” is a bit of an over-reaction here. If The Invisibles taught me anything, it’s not to be scared of bugs.

  • http://twitter.com/TheNiallist The NIALLI$T

    “Horrifying” is a bit of an over-reaction here. If The Invisibles taught me anything, it’s not to be scared of bugs.

    • http://profiles.google.com/gottgen Van Davis

      Fuckin’ A.

    • justagirl

      are you not afraid of bugs then?

  • Video_nomad

    What’s unexpected, is that we didn’t expect it. As in, scientists did not predict it beforehand, as they had never seen spiders exhibit this particular behavior before. The evolution isn’t unexpected, it’s the form that it took.

  • Konpowrabbit

    they have snakes there too, wonder where they go???

  • Konpowrabbit

    they have snakes there too, wonder where they go???

    • Jpozin

      On a plane. ;-)

  • Paulwhitehurst247

    interesting…….but have seen it many times before in finland………whole trees covered in web…….not sure why, but it was nothing to do with water there, or snow, because it was in the summer

  • Paulwhitehurst247

    interesting…….but have seen it many times before in finland………whole trees covered in web…….not sure why, but it was nothing to do with water there, or snow, because it was in the summer

  • http://profiles.google.com/gottgen Van Davis

    Fuckin’ A.

  • Jpozin

    On a plane. ;-)

  • Higgins5000

    maybe it is not a one time thing. maybe they know that the waters are rising permanently .

  • Higgins5000

    maybe it is not a one time thing. maybe they know that the waters are rising permanently .

  • justagirl

    i’d like to walk down that penninsula with a flame thrower. sorry.

  • justagirl

    i’d like to walk down that penninsula with a flame thrower. sorry.

  • justagirl

    are you not afraid of bugs then?

  • justagirl

    spiders don’t have ears. duh.

  • Faiza

    i guess this is what u call survival of the fittest?

  • Faiza

    i guess this is what u call survival of the fittest?

  • http://twitter.com/tjdimacali TJ Dimacali

    Sorry, but this isn’t “evolution in arachnoid behavior”. It isn’t even “evolution”, period.

    The spiders haven’t changed morphologically nor even behaviorally. They’re just living the way they always have, seeking shelter above the water line –which, in this unique case, just happened to be up in the trees because there was no other place left to go.

  • http://twitter.com/tjdimacali TJ Dimacali

    Sorry, but this isn’t “evolution in arachnoid behavior”. It isn’t even “evolution”, period.

    The spiders haven’t changed morphologically nor even behaviorally. They’re just living the way they always have, seeking shelter above the water line –which, in this unique case, just happened to be up in the trees because there was no other place left to go.

    • anon1

      Cool story bro

    • Navysealteam7

       They’ve developed more practical ways to adapt to their environment which is one definition of evolution even though it might not be exactly darwin’s original idea. They have in effect though, become more effective spiders, period.

  • This guy

    the itsy bitsy spider ftw:)

  • This guy

    the itsy bitsy spider ftw:)

  • http://twitter.com/llotek1 Daniel Enright

    ahhhh…man that was funny, so didnt expect it..good one

  • anon1

    Cool story bro

  • sadhbh

    god i hate spiders so i hate this too

  • sadhbh

    god i hate spiders so i hate this too

  • Navysealteam7

     They’ve developed more practical ways to adapt to their environment which is one definition of evolution even though it might not be exactly darwin’s original idea. They have in effect though, become more effective spiders, period.

  • Navysealteam7

    Wow, you really are, ‘just-a-girl’, lol

  • justagirl

    wow, genius – you have just been promoted to “chef”.

  • Tariq Ali

    i think that whenever spiders attack on any tree the tree eventually dies.Thats what mostly happens so might be after 2-3 years these trees will no longer exist!

  • Anon

    They’re not ‘attacking the trees’…. that’s like saying that squirrels, who live in trees, are killing trees everywhere….