Do Spiders Live in Antarctica?
WouterSpiders are not found in Antarctica. That is because of the cold climate. However, sea spiders are found in Antarctica’s oceans. Interestingly, sea spiders can grow to the size of a dinner plate.
Despite its cold environment, spiders have evolved into larger species to withstand the harsh conditions. There are even species that burrow under a thick layer of snow to protect themselves from the elements.
Some species produce a chemical that acts like an anti-freeze when the temperatures get too low. These spiders can survive in temperatures as low as 23 degrees Fahrenheit.
In fact, some of these sea spiders can grow to 50 centimeters or more. They are also able to absorb oxygen from both hot and cold waters.
This may prove to be a valuable trait to have in a climate change-ridden world. But, there are still plenty of unanswered questions about the polar-spinning spiders.
Tobalski’s team has been testing the hypothesis that giant sea spiders can survive in the polar regions. For example, they flipped six types of giant sea spiders and studied the results. The flipped giant spiders performed as well as smaller ones in colder waters, but did not perform as well in warmer waters.
One of the more intriguing findings is that the oxygen-temperature hypothesis does not hold true for these creatures.
A more accurate test would involve comparing the polar-spinning spiders’ performance to that of a control group of land-dwelling spiders. Assuming that the land-dwelling species can tolerate temperatures as cold as Antarctica, they could actually outperform their spider counterparts.
