We can’t decide if this is fascinating or horrifying. Your opinion would probably depend on whether or not you’re a fan of spiders.
A strange phenomenon sometimes occurs where certain species of spiders “rain down” on entire towns.
Watch the video below to see one such sighting caught on camera:
This behavior was recorded in San Antonio da Platina in Brazil. It is apparently a common occurrence.
The video below is another instance, filmed in 2013. In the footage, you can see spiders literally falling out of the sky onto the confused onlookers below.
So what’s happening here? It may look like they’re flying, but the spiders are actually displaying a rather common behavior. Peter Gorham, a scientist at the University of Hawaii, explained that this behavior is something called “ballooning.” This is where juveniles of certain species of spiders are able to use their webs to launch themselves into the air to search for more suitable habitat. The webs act like sails, and the spiders can be effortlessly carried away with the breeze.
Young spiders will climb to the highest point it can find, point its abdomen in the air (called tiptoeing), and release silk threads into the air. The threads automatically form a triangular shape that acts as a parachute.
What if spiders need to hitch a ride and there’s no wind for miles?
According to Joe Dwyer, a scientist at the Florida Institute of Technology, spiders can also use charged particles (static electricity) to travel. By collecting enough charged particles on their webs, spiders can lift off into the air.
Dr. Dwyer explained, “If you’re very light like a spider, then it’s possible if you have enough charge on you to float, or to rise, in such electric fields.”
Spiders have been recorded landing on boats almost 1,000 miles from shore, and on data balloons up to 15,000 ft in the sky.
