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A massive spider web was spun in western Greece, built by the Tetragnatha spider for mating.
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A spider in Aitoliko, Greece.(Photo: Giannis Giannakopoulos / Facebook)

A soft, white blanket of webbing was formed near a lagoon in the west of Greece, which would have allowed a massive "mating party" to unfold between spiders in the city of Aitoliko. The photographs published online show the nearly 1,000-foot band stretching out on a beach, according to The Greek site NewsIt.

Maria Chatzaki, a professor of biology at the Greek University Democritus of Thrace, told Newsit that the thick, fuzzy cover comes from the spiders Tetragnatha, a type of spider that frequents tropical climates.

"It's as if spiders are taking advantage of these conditions and organizing a sort of party," Chatzaki said, according to a BBC translation. "They mate, they breed and provide a whole new generation."

The tiny spiders pose no threat to humans or plants in the area, Chatzaki told NewsIt, although their increasing numbers may be linked to an increase in mosquito populations.

The professor said that "a large number of male and female spiders" mate under the massive blanket, spawning a new generation before reaching their own sour purposes.

"The spiders will have their party and will die soon," she said, according to the BBC.

The cloudscape extends on an abandoned boat, trees and rows of vegetation in photographs published on Facebook by the user Giannis Giannakopoulos.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

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