Zooillogix

Zombie Spiders Return from the Dead to Haunt Your Dreams

Posted by Benny Bleiman on April 28, 2009
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So you start out with a simple experiment, so simple in fact, that it sounds like Andrew and I came up with it when we were seven: How long do different species of spider survive underwater? You take 120 wolf spiders of three different species that live in marsh lands, and you submerge them underwater until they drown. Simple enough. Some live 24 hours, some 28 hours, and some 36. Ok, that’s a long time, but it makes sense as these creatures live in marshes so they must have adapted to survive submerged for extended periods of time. It is then, however, that things take a turn for the horrifying.

As you’re weighing out the dried out spider corpses, you notice that some of them start twitching. Then more and more begin twitching. Then all of a sudden, most of them are alive again. Not only are they alive, but they have grown to five times their normal size, have become exponentially more aggressive, and violently attack your entire research staff.

i-71bd6746df0bb051fa37bd73147c0358-Wolf Spider.jpg

A scene from Left for Dead 3

While the last sentence of that previous paragraph was not, not false, the rest is completely true. Researchers at the University of Rennes in France had just this experience recently when conducting just such an experiment. It turns out the marsh dwelling wolf spiders are able to put themselves into comas, effectively changing their metabolic process to no longer require air, in order to survive long periods underwater.

“This is the first time we know of arthropods returning to life from comas after submersion,” Julien Pétillon, one of the lead researchers told National Geographic.

I wish I could have put myself into a coma to survive Andrew’s wedding last summer. Borrrrrring.

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Comments

  1. #1 Marc
    April 28, 2009

    Flushing them down the toilet is not enough anymore,they will come back up!

    Seriously tho, this is amazing.

  2. #2 Lassi Hippeläinen
    April 29, 2009

    The boring habits at spider weddings can be interesting.

    “The entire cringeworthy sequence lasts about 15 minutes and throughout it, the male spider never penetrates the female’s actual genital opening.”
    http://scienceblogs.com/notrocketscience/2009/04/traumatic_insemination_-_male_spider_pierces_females_undersi.php

    Sleep well.

  3. #3 Jives
    April 29, 2009

    Andrew’s married?

    Your intern will be crushed.

  4. #4 JR
    April 29, 2009

    I’ve been bringing submerged arthropods back to life for many years; a friend showed me the trick in grade school. Submerge a fly or ant for several hours, take it out, and cover it with sugar (I assume salt would work as well). After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a ‘dead’ carpenter ant I found in the dog’s water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants.)

  5. #5 ym
    April 29, 2009

    When I clean my hummingbird feeders I sometimes find ants inside. They sure look dead.

  6. #6 Lilian Nattel
    April 29, 2009

    Very cool. Scary but cool scary.

  7. #7 milkshake
    April 29, 2009

    That’s all cool and scary but I demand to see slow loris in Zooillogix:

    http://www.youtube.com/DmitrySergeyev

  8. #8 Szamba
    April 30, 2009

    Nice zombies ;)

  9. #9 John Gallagher
    April 30, 2009

    An occasion with both Blieman brothers in attendance borrrring! Impossible!!!

  10. #10 Katie the Intern
    April 30, 2009

    I’ve been trying to cope with Andrew’s marriage for a while. I’m dealing with it really well now.

    But it should have been me.

  11. #11 Zach Miller
    May 1, 2009

    As if wolf spiders weren’t terrifying enough!

  12. #12 eddie
    May 1, 2009

    Incy Wincy must’ve been one of the marsh spider species.

  13. #13 Drhoz
    May 2, 2009

    huh – obviously they’ve never heard of Sydney Funnelwebs, the world’s deadliest spider. It’s *well-known* that the male you find at the bottom of your swimming pool is going to come straight back once you fish him out.

  14. #14 J.R. Shirley
    May 3, 2009

    “the last sentence of that previous paragraph was not, not false”

    Um, you mean that the last sentence WAS false, or was NOT true. I hope.

    John

  15. #15 Jives
    May 4, 2009

    The following sentence is true. Everything I write is a lie.

    Oh snap!

  16. #16 ym
    May 5, 2009

    it’s not, not true (as opposed to not not true).

  17. #17 Klimatyzatory LG
    May 7, 2009

    Nice one :)

  18. #18 andersland
    May 12, 2009

    I’ve been bringing submerged arthropods back to life for many years; a friend showed me the trick in grade school. Submerge a fly or ant for several hours, take it out, and cover it with sugar (I assume salt would work as well). After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a ‘dead’ carpenter ant I found in the dog’s water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants.)

  19. #19 eddie
    June 5, 2009

    Further to my link in #12;

    Bhangra version!

  20. #20 Hiphop
    June 9, 2009

    Maniac :)

  21. #21 forex
    June 12, 2009

    thank you very much

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    June 15, 2009

    Nice one :)

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    June 15, 2009

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    June 16, 2009

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    June 16, 2009

    have a question that next generation has the right to live and will survive in clean and pure air?if yes the why yes? and if not then why not? plz ans me with examples

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  30. #30 sikiş
    July 15, 2010

    You should not be eating live animals especially not Goldfish just because they are lower in the food chain. I love fish and the sea! Poor sea creatures… Oh, and yes, we should not underestimat

  31. #31 film izle
    July 17, 2010

    After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a ‘dead’ carpenter ant I found in the dog’s water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants

  32. #32 download videos
    December 7, 2010

    It turns out the marsh dwelling wolf spiders are able to put themselves into comas, effectively changing their metabolic process to no longer require air, in order to survive long periods underwater.

  33. #33 film izle
    February 4, 2011

    After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a ‘dead’ carpenter ant I found in the dog’s water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants

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    February 4, 2011

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    February 5, 2011

    You should not be eating live animals especially not Goldfish just because they are lower in the food chain. I love fish and the sea! Poor sea creatures… Oh, and yes, we should not underestimat

  36. #36 yer kaplamasi
    April 4, 2011

    hat’s a long time, but it makes sense as these creatures live in marshes so they must have adapted to survive submerged for

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    April 7, 2011

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  38. #38 prefabrik
    April 7, 2011

    Aside from being stuck at home now I am running fever as well. What a life I have right now! I only hope to feel better so soon while hubby stays for the weeked.

  39. #39 koçluk
    June 8, 2011

    Andrew’s married?

    Your intern will be crushed…

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    August 10, 2011

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    December 20, 2011

    After a while, the insect starts moving and within a few hours is fine. Just did it last week with a ‘dead’ carpenter ant I found in the dog’s water bowl. (I have a stupid hypothesis that the carpenter ants in the house keep away the annoying, swarming red ants

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