The current spider egg case I was hoping to see hatch out with a new generation of spiders isn’t looking so good. I opened it up to find way too many dead eggs, and then made a time lapse to see babies just fading away. It’s sad and miserable. I’m putting it here to document my dismal Christmas eve.
I’m gonna have to cancel Christmas. There is no reason for anyone to celebrate.
Not for everyone.
In Oz news [with stock photos]:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-24/funnel-web-spider-warning-as-numbers-increase/10666344
(Cheers!)
Strangely reminiscent of Herod’s massacre of the innocents. Tis the season.
@ 1 John Morales
I have often thought that my Irish ancestors made a mistake and came to Canada rather than Australia. Suddenly, a grizzly bear or polar bear looks cuddly after hearing about funnel-web spiders.
Anyway to know what went wrong there? Just curious…
Pull yourself together man ,you are a scientist are you not?
JM @1 the horror .
I am sorry for this! Is it possible that opening an egg sac puts the embryos at risk? Besides possible desiccation, a separate factor is introduction of pathogens. I have a vague recollection that spider silk has an anti-microbial effect.
Yes. Mold, parasites, bacteria…all are candidates for this problem. The complication is that I’ve opened egg cases before, and they’ve been fine; the last couple of egg cases I left alone for weeks, only to open them to discover all were dead.