After the frightening news about murder hornets, people are struggling to handle the news of flying spiders. Social media was full of people sharing their fear of these flying arachnids and saying they wanted to leave the planet.
Are flying spiders real? We’ll share the facts and expert opinions so you can rest easy.
This year, Chicago residents claimed about their encounters with flying spiders in June and August as it was their migratory season.
Besides, Texas residents have witnessed unusual spider behavior traveling through single-ended strings. It is like a living nightmare for all arachnophobes to learn spiders can fly. As if they were not creepy enough already?
Fact-Checking: Are Flying Spiders Real?
The truth is, spiders don’t have wings. However, scientists have found a species that can glide through the air and move like they are flying.
In one case of fake news, edited pictures of a spider with wings may have contributed to people’s fear of these eight-legged creatures.
These flying arachnids are known as Selenops. Surprisingly, they can steer through the air using their forelegs and glide from one tree to another.
They can glide for a few meters before landing on a branch or bark. This parachuting ability is called ballooning, and more than one species may be capable of it.
The flying spider species Larinioides sclopetarius isn’t new. However, in suburban areas, they are mainly found in high-rise buildings from May to August.
Commonly called grey cross or bridge spiders, scientists say they use atmospheric static electricity to help them fly. They can attach to anything in their path, like an insect or a moth.
Scientific tests on flying spiders
Biologically, this evolution may seem cool; however, it is a real-life horror experience for most people who witness this.
As per Stephen Yanoviak, a tropical arthropod ecologist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, these spiders glide in the air very precisely. They carried out several tests to see these spiders fly and concluded that they could hang glide just like grasshoppers and praying mantises.
Moreover, they painted the spiders orange to observe better before throwing them from a tall tree.
They also studied the behavior of large arachnids, aka ”flatties,” which are found in the American tropics.
Due to their thin bodies, they mimic a landing that is better than that of a typical cat.
Besides, they are so quick and can change their angles mid-flight. This flying ability of the spiders may be put to use in the future to create new robot designs.
Maybe, these scary creatures have some use to humans after all.
Do the flying spiders bite?
Many species such as black widow and wolf spider are dangerous to humans. However, the Selenops is not known to be venomous to humans.
Although they are capable of flying on to humans and attacking them, there are no known cases of bites. Their venom is not poisonous, so even if they bite, you will not need medical treatment.
In the common regions of these species, it is recommended to keep the windows closed in their migration season to avoid unwanted visitors.
These are all the myths busted to answer your doubt on ”Are flying spiders real?”.
The Selenops spiders may be evolutionary in their skills, but they are more scared of humans than them. So, the next time you see a flying spider, don’t panic as they are harmless.