This Might Be the Weirdest Spider Web Ever Discovered
Ever stumbled on a spider web that just left you scratching your head? That’s what happened with a TikTok clip featuring this bizarre, sheet-like web that looked more like a stretchy plastic film than anything natural. Once you hear how strange this web is and what kind of spider may have made it, you’ll never look at spider webs the same way again.
A Web That Looks Like Plastic
The web was stuck between a wooden post and the side of a house, and when the poster SadSlingingSlasher poked it, it seemed to ripple and stretch. They were baffled, even calling it a “funnel spider” web and comparing it to jail bars. The comment section was flooded with one warning people not even to look up “Labyrinth spider,” calling it unforgettable.
Others cracked jokes, like “Flex Seal Spider” or “radioactive spider,” while some shared real insight. One commenter pointed out that spider silk can shrink when exposed to water or humidity, making it look gel-like and super dense. They figured it was probably from a sheet-spider, and noted you could even spot what looked like an exit hole, where the spider might hide. That part was definitely on point.
Funnel Spiders and Their Strange Traps
Let’s break this down further. Funnel-web spiders, particularly those in the family Agelenidae, build these flat, horizontal sheet webs that lead to a funnel retreat where the spider hides and waits for prey. The web isn’t sticky, but insects fall onto the sheet and get trapped long enough for the spider to dart out and snatch them, effectively a spring-trap mechanism.
In Europe and parts of Asia, the Labyrinth Spider (Agelena labyrinthica) constructs what is basically this kind of sheet-plus-funnel web, often near ground level or up to about 4.9 feet off the ground. Some describe these labyrinth-style webs as so thick and strong that, back in the 16th century, monks in the Austrian Alps used them as tiny canvases to paint religious miniatures. Pretty wild, right?
When Humidity Turns Silk Into Gel
Image via Getty Images/FotoDuets
But what about that gel-like feel? High humidity and dew can really transform spider silk. When the fine silk fibers pick up moisture, they shrink or smooth out, changing the web’s surface into something that almost looks like a sheet of plastic or gelatin.
Paired with the dense weave these spiders already create, the result can be a web that looks absolutely alien. And yes, that hole the TikTok video showed? That’s likely the funnel entrance where the spider waits, making the scene even more eerie when you realize life is just peering out of that hole.
A Viral Curiosity
The TikTok clip showing the strange web pulled in over 597,000 likes, 39,000 shares, and thousands of comments ranging from jokes to genuine scientific theories. A couple of comments alone racked up more than 200,000 likes, which shows just how fascinated people were by this odd find. It doesn’t matter if it was because of curiosity, humor, or shock, the strange spider web turned into an online sensation that people couldn’t stop talking about.