Sometimes scientific research involves waiting for a half hour to see if a spider is more afraid of humans or of drowning. In this case, the spider turned out alright, because he had an air supply! We don't know if this was an experiment or a random incident that led to a science paper, but Lindsey Swierk and other scientists from Binghamton University scared a spider of the species Trechalea extensa. It is a semi-aquatic spider that sometimes ventures out onto the surface of water to look for prey. This time, it went underwater to hide, a behavior that these spiders are not known for.
They observed the spider in the water, covered by a thin layer of air. It appears the air was held in place by the hydrophobic hairs that cover the arachnid. The air-breathing spider was able to stay submerged for a half-hour, which makes us wonder if you have to worry about spiders even while swimming. Read more about the spider and his personal bubble at New Atlas. -via Damn Interesting
(Image credit: Lindsey Swierk)