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New studies have shown that spiders adapted to life in the city, not only become larger in size, but also consume more food, and also produce more offspring. TO for example, a golden spider (Nephila plumipes), although it is a native of Australian villages, quite recently often found in large cities such as Sydney (southeast Australia). Due to its increased ability to adapt to urban environment, this spider earned the nickname “urban exploiter. “For the study, experts gathered more than 200 Gold spiders from urban, suburban and rural areas. Researchers found that spiders living in urbanized areas with low vegetation, had a longer leg segment, than their relatives living in a village with more saturated flora. According to the researchers, it is the length of the leg a spider is used to determine its size, because the size The insect’s belly varies depending on how much it eats. The average length of the tibia of a spider living in the countryside, amounted to 9.4 millimeters, and his urban relative – in an average of 12.1 -14.3 mm. In addition, the weight of the testicles of female urban spiders averaged about 39 percent of their total body weight, which indicates a higher level of their reproductive ability. As it turned out, despite the crowded and the noise of the city, spiders prefer to settle here because of the heat, which is beautiful Absorb and preserve concrete buildings and roads. Also soon all in all, elevated ambient temperature is the main reason for the increased growth of spiders living in the city. According to the study, the air temperature in cities is 3 degrees Celsius higher than in the suburbs or villages, which makes cities Ideal home for heat-loving spiders. Scientists believe that spiders living in cities bring significant benefits to people, as they feed on mosquitoes and other insects bothering city dwellers. Although a bite of a golden spider can cause localized pain and numbness in humans, these spiders rarely attack on people. In case of danger, they prefer to quickly hide.
Australia
