Page 284 - (DK) I Can’t Believe It! 2

282
We swallow
TRUE or
FALSE?

eight spiders a

year in our sleep

This thought is a nightmare for those suffering
from arachnophobia (fear of spiders), but it is

nothing more than a tangled web of nonsense.
The possibility of this situation ever happening
is highly unlikely, and there are no examples

in scientific or medical records.

Common house spiders The leg span of a
WONDER WEBS trap flies and other Goliath bird-eating
bugs in their webs spider is about
before rushing out the same size as
In 2012 scientists used to consume them. a dinner plate.
computer simulations to
find out how well spiderwebs
withstood a range of stresses.
Some could even survive
hurricane-force winds! This
superstrength helps the
web stay intact when
prey is trapped within it.

Jumping spiders
have eight eyes
and can leap up
to 50 times their
own body length.

US_282_283_309600_Spiders.indd 282 19/12/17 3:49 pm