For some baffling reason, a bunch of tiny, fence-like web structures keep showing up in the Peruvian jungle. Measuring about two centimetres across and delicately constructed, they’re beautiful in a way. And since scientists have no idea how they got there, they’re also totally mysterious.
Georgia Tech grad student Troy Alexander first spotted the strangle little structures on the underside of a blue tarp three months ago. Three more later showed up on tree trunks but offered no clues about what built them. They were all found on the same small island off Peru’s coast, making it entirely possible that an isolated, never-before-seen species of spider or insect was the architect. But frankly, scientists just don’t know what made it or what it’s for. Not even Reddit can figure it out.
Wired talked to entomologists and arachnologists alike, all of whom were stumped by the picket fence structure. One insect expert summed up the sentiment well. “We are all guessing,” Gwen Pearson told Wired. “We have no freakin’ clue. And that’s my expert opinion.”
Comforting, right? Truth be told, a few different kinds of spiders and insects make weird structures, so we can probably rule out aliens. Pearson says that the consensus among scientists right now is that whatever built the structure comes from the Bucculatricidea moth family, which is known to build similar structures to protect their cocoons. Pearseon personally believes it was actually built by a member of the Urodidae family, another moth family that builds baskets for their cocoons. Like Pearson said, though, nobody has a clue. Do you? Let us know your theories in the comments. [This Is Colossal via Wired Science]
Pictures: @TroySAlexander