Argy, The Water Spider

There is an unusual spider called Argyroneta aquatica (European water spider), which lives in Europe and parts of Asia.

"Argy" eats, hunts, sleeps, and has her babies underwater. But the spider breathes air! How can she live beneath the water? Because she actually takes her air with her underwater. Argy has been called the first "deep-sea diver"!

She spins a web and attaches it to twigs or weeds growing in the pond. Then she swims to the top of the water to catch air bubbles. While she holds a bubble with some of her back legs, it clings to her little brown, hairy body. She dives to her home and lets the bubbles go beneath the web. After many trips for more air bubbles, the spider web looks like an inflated balloon. Now a dry, cozy summer home is ready for Argy. The spider adds a nursery for her babies. The babies can swim from the moment of hatching. Who taught them how? Who taught the water spider to build an air bubble home beneath the water? There is only one answer! God put the know-how or instinct into the wee little brain of Argyroneta aquatica! Instinct is knowledge that has not been learned.

Next time you see a spider-web, think about this Bible verse: "For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God." Hebrews 3:4.

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