Effects of Drugs on Spiders
WouterIt is known that caffeine can play havoc on spiders. Scientists have tried to study the effects of drugs on spiders since the late 1940s. These scientists are interested in how drugs affect spiders’ silk and motor skills. They have been able to observe how spiders’ web patterns have changed when they’ve been given drugs.
The first research on this topic was done by German zoologist H.M. Peters. He stayed up all night to observe orb-web spiders. His findings were that the spiders weren’t following their usual sleep cycle. When they were given coffee, they were unable to complete their webs.
Another scientist, Canadian chemist David Peakall, was also interested in the effects of drugs on spiders’ silk. In his research, he observed how low-dose mescaline and LSD affected spiders’ perception. As a result, they showed a widened gap between their silk.
A similar experiment was conducted by NASA. Researchers exposed garden spiders to a variety of chemicals. Some of the chemicals, including marijuana, benzedrine, chloral hydrate, and caffeine, showed a significant impact on spiders’ web pattern.
Spiders were also influenced by other drugs. Studies found that low-dose mescaline spiders showed a widened gap between their webs. However, when they were fed a high dose, the webs became irregular. This is a sign that the chemical was more toxic.
Aside from caffeine, other chemicals were also analyzed for their effects on spiders. These chemicals included chloral hydrate, which is a sedative.
