Spiders get around in more ways than you might expect. Beyond the familiar scuttle of eight legs, they’ve developed some genuinely strange tricks: riding wind currents through the air, cartwheeling down sand dunes and even building underwater air pockets to live in.
In this article, we explore:
Spider ballooning is a form of aerial travel in which spiders release strands of silk that catch air currents and lift them into the sky. While wind plays a role, researchers have discovered that Earth’s electric fields also help spiders become airborne.
We know what you’re thinking — how do spiders use electric fields to travel? Some arachnids use sensory hairs called trichobothria to detect changes in atmospheric electricity. When conditions are right, they raise their abdomens, release silk and allow electrostatic forces to help lift them off the ground.
It may sound like something out of a superhero comic (“Spider-Man” fans, unite!), but ballooning has been observed for centuries. In 1832, naturalist Charles Darwin recorded thousands of spiders landing aboard the HMS Beagle while it was more than 60 miles offshore.
In addition to ballooning from one place to the next, some species of spinners boast another unique manner of transportation: cartwheeling. While rolling from place to place may not be a conventional method of moving, it’s certainly useful when trying to evade predators.
Two particular species of somersaulting spiders include:
The golden rolling spider resides in the sandy deserts of Namibia. When provoked by predators like spider-hunting wasps, it uses its unique cartwheeling talents (known as flic-flac jumps) to propel itself down the sandy dunes. These flic-flacking rolls are a convenient and quick means of escape, as a golden rolling spider can travel up to one and a half meters per second as it rolls down a dune.
The flic-flac spider also lives in sandy regions, specifically in the southern sand-filled deserts of Morocco. Recently discovered by spider expert Dr. Peter Jäger, the flic-flac spider (Cebrennus rechenbergi) is known for its gymnast-like agility as it jumps and rolls to expedite its travel time.
Unlike its cartwheeling cousin, the flic-flac spider uses extreme flexibility to propel itself off the ground. It takes advantage of its flic-flacking skills to travel downhill, uphill, or on flat ground at two meters per second.
While you may have spent a small chunk of your childhood boasting your ability to hold your breath for over a minute in the pool, can you imagine what it would be like living your entire life underwater?
Enter the Argyroneta aquatica, more commonly known by its informal name, the diving bell spider. Like humans, this species needs oxygen to breathe — so how is it possible that they can spend up to 24 hours underwater at a time?
Diving bell spiders use their multipurpose silks to create tiny silk-made air tanks (diving bells) that attach to pond weeds or the sides of aquariums. After creating their homemade oxygen chambers, they return to the water’s surface, grab an air bubble, attach it to the bottom of their hairy abdomens, and swim to their diving bell, where they deposit the bubble.
With such an efficient method of living and breathing underwater, diving bell spiders can enjoy an entirely sub-aquatic existence that includes swimming, eating and breeding.
Whether you’re interested in diving deeper into the inner workings of spiders or looking for a broader education in insects and other arthropods, the University of Florida offers a wide variety of entirely online programs. Each program is built to expand your knowledge of entomology and point you on a path to help build your career in a variety of fields, including:
With our 30-credit master’s degree in entomology and nematology and our 15-credit graduate certificate each boasting four specialization options, there are numerous ways to take your career to the next level — all from the comfort of your own home.
If you’re interested in learning more about spiders and other arthropods, apply to one of our online entomology and nematology programs today.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3689776
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30693-6?_returnURL
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/spiders-fly-on-the-currents-of-earths-electric-field
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/the-electric-flight-of-spiders/564437
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/arachnids/spiders/sparassidae/carparachne_aureoflava.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140428074422.htm
https://www.science.org/content/article/underwater-spider-spins-itself-aqualung
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