The first result of my Winners of Ecological Disaster challenge is in: GIANT HAIRY SPIDERS IN GREENLAND
The species that was studied, Pardosa glacialis, can grow to as long as 1.6 inches. For now. But the study revealed that the average size of the spiders had grown by 2% over the last ten years… The precise cause of the trend is still a mystery, but the growth was strongly correlated with hotter, longer summers. For instance, in years when spring came 30 days earlier, many spiders grew exoskeletons which were 10% thicker than usual. Translated for the squeamish: that means the spiders were bigger, hairier and more difficult to squash.
And they aren’t just getting larger, they’re increasing their numbers too. The study also discovered that most of the species growth happened among females. Since larger females tend to produce more offspring, that means more spiders overall.
