Cow has its face completely covered in spider webs

Cow has its face completely covered in spider webs after thousands of arachnids were forced to find higher ground after heavy flooding

  • An angus cow was snapped clad in a spider web while grazing on a property
  • Common occurrence each Autumn, which is prime mating time for many spiders
  • Recent floods in NSW saw many webs elevated as spiders thrived in new habitats

An angus cow was left thoroughly unimpressed recently after being covered in spider webs during the arachnid’s breeding season.

Taking the opportunity to graze on a property in Woolsthorpe, a rural village in western Victoria, the cow soon regretted the choice of field, with a spider quickly covering the majority of the animal’s face.

Graeme, a local resident from Woolsthorpe, told ABC Ballarat the plethora of webs appear on his grass every April and May.

‘A number of spiders spin their webs on my grass every autumn,’ he said.

An angus cow (pictured) was left thoroughly unimpressed recently after being covered in spider webs when grazing

‘This angus cow ended up with a face-full while grazing.’

The recent floods in some parts of NSW saw thousands of spiders forced to climb to higher grounds in a bid to avoid the torrential rainfall.

Graham Milledge, an Arachnology Collection Manager at the Australian Museum, revealed many arachnids such as wolf spiders had no choice but to find a new habitat. 

‘They are ground dwellers so their local environment was flooded,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘Normally they use their web to help them travel… it is a process known as ballooning, which helps them travel long distances.’

Following the floods earlier this year in NSW, Tim Faulkner, the Australian Reptile Park Director, said the combination of record rain and humidity was ‘the perfect storm’ to set off a spider ‘boom’ across the state.

‘Under normal circumstances, the humidity that is generated from warm weather after a rain event would see an increase in activity amongst funnel webs. This situation is completely different,’ he warned.

‘Not only are we seeing increased movement due to humidity, but we are already seeing a plague of ground-dwelling spiders searching for higher ground, out of the floodwaters.

Mass spider webs (pictured) are regular features on farms across Australia in April and May - with Autumn the peak mating season

Mass spider webs (pictured) are regular features on farms across Australia in April and May – with Autumn the peak mating season

‘With the incredible flooding that we experienced across the Greater Sydney area, they have been forced out of their habitat and are seeking refuge in dryer areas.

‘Unfortunately, this could mean that they’ll be finding their way into residential homes in high numbers.’

Alternatively, funnel webs also seek cooler conditions such as swimming pools in heatwave temperatures.

Numbers dramatically increase during mating season – with the venomous male spiders venturing out of their burrows in search of a mate.