The beautiful Grecian beaches have been transformed into an eerie landscape overrun by spiders as a massive spider web stretches across the entire shoreline.
A Shocking Spider Invasion
Most people encounter spider webs one at a time, maybe a handful or so in a single day. In a quiet lagoon in Greece, nearby residents were treated to their land wholly covered in arachnid silk.
The locals in the picturesque town of Aitoliko, Greece woke up to the strange sight on Monday, Sept. 17: a 1,000-foot blanket of spider webs cloaking the entire eastern coast of the lagoon, according to Daily Hellas.
Mating Season Spurs The Sudden Spider Activity
Some of the locals attribute the sudden emergence of the spiders to the rise in mosquitoes in the days preceding the phenomenon.
BBC News reports that while it may seem horrifying to those with arachnophobia, it is a seasonal occurrence that's caused by the Tetragnatha genus of spiders. After all, these types of spiders are known to build very big nests for their mating season.
Scientists say the arachnids are merely enjoying the beautiful weather and availability of food, taking the opportunity to "party."
"They mate, they reproduce and provide a whole new generation," Maria Chatzaki, a professor of molecular biology and genetics at the Democritus University of Thrace, tells Newsit.gr as translated by BBC News.
Underneath these huge webs, Chatzaki says that there are populations of spiders mating, according to Live Science.
More About Tetragnatha Spiders
Such an incident is not completely unheard of in Aitoliko as the phenomenon is known to be seasonal. Tetragnatha spiders are often mating in the summer and early autumn months. The coastal town's temperature, humidity, and abundance of mosquitoes create the ideal mating conditions for the spiders.
Fortunately, while it is quite a freaky sight to those who are unfamiliar to it, the spider party isn't harmful to the people or the environment.
"These spiders are not dangerous for humans and will not cause any damage to the area's flora," she assures. "The spiders will have their party and will soon die."
Tetragnatha spiders, Live Science reports, are known for their long, ovular bodies, even dubbed as "stretch spiders" because of it. They frequent regions all over the world, but often stick to habitats near the water. Their large and thick webs are good not just for mating, but also for both nesting and catching prey.