Parachuting Spiders

[MIKE BURN]

"This is freaking insane" I though when I found this article about spiders:

Quote:

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5174012.stm



Scientists have shed new light on how spiders can travel epic distances by dangling on strands of floating silk.

A team from Rothamsted Research, UK, has updated a mathematical model describing this remarkable arachnid phenomenon, known as "ballooning".



It claims the revision gives a more realistic explanation of what actually happens to spiders in flight.



The new model shows how turbulent air can propel the creatures much further - even hundreds of kilometres out to sea.



"By making some modifications we've solved something that's flummoxed scientists for 200 years," said Rothamsted's Dr Dave Bohan.



"The previous model could explain spiders going up to 200m; what it couldn't do was explain why, for example, Charles Darwin on his ship, The Beagle, more than 100km off the coast of South America, could watch ballooning spiders," he told BBC News.



Most small spiders seeking new territory - or, indeed, a mate - will cast silk into the air and "parachute" to a new location. Peak periods for this activity tend to be in autumn and spring.

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MIKE
mikeburn and friends