Sulfur Cave

Common card · No. 439078

The Sulfur Cave is a cave on the border between Greece and Albania, and an example of the broader phenomenon of sulfuric acid caves. It is known for containing the first reported super-colony of spiders. The cave was discovered in 2022 by cavers who then reported their discovery to scientists. It is over 97 square metres (1,040 sq ft) in size and contains over 111,000 spiders of the species Tegenaria domestica and Prinerigone vagans. This is the first documented example of these two species of spider constructing communal webs. Sulfur acid caves are an extreme environment, being completely dark and enriched with hydrogen sulfide gas, which is toxic to most organisms. Researchers were able to determine that the spiders in the cave rely on a food chain that starts with sulfur-oxidizing microbes. Additional genetic analysis also showed that the species inhabiting the cave are evolving into new species. It is hypothesised that genetic isolation and an abundant food supply led the spiders to...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Picture is credited to "Lights illuminate a massive spider web found in a cave on the border of Greece and Albania. “An Extraordinary Colonial Spider Community in Sulfur Cave (Albania/Greece) Sustain…, CC BY 4.0