How High Have Spiders Been Found?
WouterSpiders are not creatures with wings. They are small invertebrates that use silk to travel. They climb to twigs, leaves, or blades of grass. They also use the silk to catch prey. Some have been found ballooning, which means they fly high in the sky. They have been known to travel more than a thousand miles away.
Scientists have long wondered why spiders balloon. Some have been seen flying two and a half miles in the air, and others have been found floating over oceans.
Researchers have suggested that spiders may use the electric field of the Earth to propel themselves through the air. They release fine strands of silk, which cling to the wind and entrain a breeze. These silk threads are very light.
In 2013, astrophysicist Peter Gorham published a paper on the subject, suggesting that the spiders were using the electrical field of the Earth to launch themselves into the air. Previously, scientists thought that spiders were riding air currents, but this couldn’t explain the loft of large spiders.
However, a new study has found that they are actually using the electricity to lift them. In fact, they can even control their altitude by manipulating the electrical field.
The study is the first to prove the theory in a laboratory. The researchers tested spiders that were exposed to voltages similar to those in nature. They were surprised to see that they could be controlled by the electricity.
