Spider Wranglers Weave One-Of-A-Kind Tapestry

npr website ^ | September 27, 2009 | September 27, 2009

[Fred Nerks]

This week in New York, the American Museum of Natural History unveiled something never before seen: an 11-by-4-foot tapestry made completely of spider silk. Weavers in Madagascar took four years to make it, and the museum says there's no other like it in the world. Enlarge Simon Peers and Nicholas GodleyTwo Nephila madagascariensis spiders that were used to create the golden tapestry.

It's now in a glass case at the museum. The color is a radiant gold — the natural color of the golden orb-weaving spider, from the Nephila genus, one that's found in several parts of the world. Simon Peers, a textile maker who lives in Madagascar, conceived the project. Weaving spider silk is not traditional there; a French missionary dreamed it up over a century ago but failed at it. The only known spider silk tapestry was shown in Paris in 1900 but then disappeared.

Peers researched previous attempts, then teamed up with fashion expert Nicholas Godley to hire local weavers to try the near-impossible. "They did think we were insane," Godley says. "It was actually hard to find people who were willing to collect and work with spiders. I think most people are arachnophobes. I mean, I am, and they bite." The task of silking a spider starts with a small machine — designed centuries ago when the first attempts to silk spiders were begun — that holds the spider down.

"The spiders are harnessed ... held down in a delicate way," Godley says, "so you need people to do this who are very tactile so the spiders are not harmed. So there's a chain of about 80 people who go out every morning at four o'clock, collect spiders, we get them in by 10 o'clock. They're in boxes, they're numbered, and then as they get silked, about 20 minutes later, they get released back into nature."

[LucyT]

My son once found a Tarantula, and kept it in the house a couple of days, then decided to donate it to his Science class.

[rom]

That’s incredible. Just unbelievably amazing.

Not that it makes me any more comfortable around spiders mind you.

[Fred Nerks]

in Australia's North:

For about six weeks, residents have reported seeing huge bird-eating spiders crawling around their backyards and gardens.Amalgamated Pest Control Bowen pest technician Audy Geiszler took this incredible photo of one of the spiders he caught wandering across the garden of a restaurant near the town's centre.

The spiders have been known to eat small birds, however Dr Raven believed it would have been stocking up on insects, small mammals and amphibians. "They'll go for big insects. They probably feed on toads. They have no problem with cane toads and frogs _ anything big and slow-moving that comes their way."The bite from a bird-eating spider is not known to be fatal to humans, however it can cause up to six hours of vomiting. The spider's venom does, however, kill dogs and cats with death occurring within 30 minutes.

[Las Vegas Ron]

I bet that made you very happy :)

[Fred Nerks]

the rare textile on display:

[danamco]

#4....An Aporn troll gets smashed by a tomcat???

[LucyT]

: )

Good catch!

[SunkenCiv]

heh and heh... couldn't find the "natural enemies" one... Thanks LucyT! I'd make a "thread" joke, but I'm sure someone has already.

[SunkenCiv]

spider on lsd

Google

[Fred Nerks]

I'm reminded of 'The Freudian Fallacy' and the effects of cocaine...

[mimi from mi]

Thanks for posting this article. Even tho I do not like spiders, I found the article fascinating. Would love to see it in person.

[txhurl]

Imagine the conversation amongst the spiders once they’re released back into nature.

Beautiful tapestry.

[Tench_Coxe]

More on Spiders

[philetus]

Is that a plexiglass cover?

[Fred Nerks]

source of image:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/47644/title/Spider_men_weave_silken_tapestry

[Kevmo]

Those 2 spiders look kinda tired

[wildbill]

Spending $500000 on collecting and weaving spider silk to see if it can be done is God’s way of saying, “You have too much money.”

[Fred Nerks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2HipedgM3I

spiders on drugs video...’given a certain drug, the spider didn’t build a web, it built a hammock’!

[LucyT]

What a hoot!

[ntnychik]

Thought you might be interested in this.