If you have a serious fear of spiders, you may want to stop reading right now. According to a study published August 19th in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, a species of tropical arachnids known as selenops fly without spinning silk parachutes.
The tiny terrors appear to swoop, weave and dive to nearby trees aided only by the movement of their 8 legs. It’s an exciting new discovery, scientists say, as spiders have historically been unable to fly or glide. Tropical arthropod ecologist, study leader Stephen Yanoviak said, "We really did not expect to see gliding behavior in spiders."
According to the study, the tree-dwelling spiders have evolved this peculiar behavior because tree trunks are far easier to get to then the lush forest floor below teeming with hungry predators. After having observed the spider for years, the scientists conducted multiple drop tests from heights of 65-80 feet which sent the spiders into free fall to observe their movements. Turning and twisting with cat-like agility, after a few misses, the Selenops spiders successfully glided to the trees, National Geographic reported.
The tiny terrors appear to swoop, weave and dive to nearby trees aided only by the movement of their 8 legs. It’s an exciting new discovery, scientists say, as spiders have historically been unable to fly or glide. Tropical arthropod ecologist, study leader Stephen Yanoviak said, "We really did not expect to see gliding behavior in spiders."
According to the study, the tree-dwelling spiders have evolved this peculiar behavior because tree trunks are far easier to get to then the lush forest floor below teeming with hungry predators. After having observed the spider for years, the scientists conducted multiple drop tests from heights of 65-80 feet which sent the spiders into free fall to observe their movements. Turning and twisting with cat-like agility, after a few misses, the Selenops spiders successfully glided to the trees, National Geographic reported.