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I’m not sure whether I truly want clarification on this or not, but > including types of spiders that use it to fly to distant locations. Really? I need to l
by jpsouth 3y ago
I’m not sure whether I truly want clarification on this or not, but
> including types of spiders that use it to fly to distant locations.
Really?
I need to leave this planet.
- pjc50 3y agoIt's called "ballooning"; only done by basically newborn tiny spiders, that string out some silk which is light enough to be affected by wind or electrostatic effects.
- jpsouth 3y agoFascinating, I wonder if there’s some evolutionary advantage for this, maybe spreading out more so they don’t encroach on each others territories from an early age and make their own home?
- KaiserPro 3y agoThey are only tiny little things. They let out a long piece of silk, something like a meter or two, and thats long enough with enough drag to lift them away. Now, if you have a fear of all spiders, I feel for you. If you have a fear of big fuckoff spiders, I can assure you that these are tiny, smaller than a pin head.
- jpsouth 3y agoYeah I’ve got a fear of big fuck off spiders, thankfully I’m in England so nothing major, but as we approach winter plenty of house spiders are going to appear out of the cracks!
- Chris2048 3y agoDon't worry, they are small and only fly just far enough to land in your mouth as you sleep.
- jpsouth 3y agoHahaha as I said in another comment, impressive protein gains overnight!
- ben_w 3y agoYup, real thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballooning_(spider) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballooning_(spider)
- K0balt 3y agoThe blue giant tarantula of Hispaniola climbs to the tops of trees to absorb electrical charge from nearby thunderstorms, jumping down onto unsuspecting prey and stunning it with their electrical charge before injecting it with venom. This allows them to attack much larger prey like spider monkeys and chickens, which they liquify on the inside with their venom, a kind of external digestive process. After the liquefaction is well under way with the venom paralyzed prey, they suck out the nutrient rich liquid, often sharing the hapless victim with sister tarantulas from the same nest. Thankfully, blue giant tarantulas are entirely a figment of my imagination.
- brookst 3y agoI was totally prepared to avoid checking because it’s too good of a story to ruin with a misguided insistence on facts. And then you ruined it. For shame.
- jpsouth 3y agoI couldn't read past the third paragraph out of fear. I'm resigning myself to live in a world of giant, flying, electrified, blue tarantulas.
- ChoGGi 3y agoHere's where I mention the old wives tale of spiders crawling into your nice warm holes while you sleep. (That was meant to come off as creepy, not sexually creepy though)
- jpsouth 3y agoThe protein gains overnight though are impressive I believe