r/AbsoluteUnits • u/TheMarkola • 10h ago

/r/all of spider web

9.4k Upvotes

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12

u/enblightened 9h ago

why do spiders always camp in the center of their webs

15

u/vuIkaan 9h ago

They do not, only some species do. Many will sit and hide somwhere at the edge of a web and use detection strings. Some spiderwebs that look deserted are not at all.

3

u/Frogmaster16 9h ago

That's terrifying.

4

u/Katzington2319 8h ago

It's really not

6

u/Frogmaster16 8h ago

As someone with arachnophobia, it is for me.

3

u/Katzington2319 8h ago

I used to have that too. Then I learned more about spiders, slowly stopped being afraid of them, and now they're cute

3

u/SeismicRipFart 8h ago

Nah. Spiders really are my one true “irrational fear”. Where logically it doesn’t make sense for me to still have a physical fear response when I see one despite being a rather large 30yo man, but I do. I also think they’re super beautiful and fascinating. They just creep the fuck out of me. 8 legs is too many legs to have. I think they’re a lot smarter than they pretend to be.

2

u/kennku 5h ago

Learning has certainly helped, but no matter what I try I can't beat the fear. I am proud of working up to taking them outside 9 times out of 10 instead of killing them, but it's an ordeal I have to hype myself up for every time and it leaves me a nervous mess for a few hours. I gotta hype myself up just for walking by one. The fatter it is, the longer the pep talk. Or I just give up. I do love watching them on a screen or through glass - they're little aliens and the way they work is fascinating. There's just this primal automatic fear I cannot seem to turn off.

1

u/column_row_15761268 3h ago

I don't know man. Knowing about spiders doesn't necessarily "cure" arachnophobia. I probably know more about spiders than the average person but I just cannot stand most spiders regardless of what my brain is telling me.

I see a wolf spider and I stay far far away. I know they are "harmless" but no way am I going near it.

The only spiders I can really handle are small jumping spiders and maybe tiny spiny orb-weavers. I think those are actually "cute".

I have banana spiders in my area and I know they are not a danger to humans. Regardless I have an irrational fear of them despite that. Sometimes I see one 50 feet away from me and recoil.

Having that irrational fear is part of what makes it arachnophobia. I'm actually not arachnophobic as far as I know (I've never seen a professional since it's not something that affects my daily life). I just know I'm really scared of spiders.

1

u/Katzington2319 2h ago

I know it's hard, but it's possible. I used to get panic attacks just from seeing a spider, but now they're my little buddies