Hordes Of Spiders Are Raining Down On Australia Right Now

That's Not Snow On The Ground...

On windy but otherwise clear days between May and August, Australia’s skies occasionally get darkened by a cloud of spiders. That’s what’s happening right now in southern Australia, where millions of small spiders are falling from the sky and blanketing the countryside in “angel hair”. (Because spiders are apparently synonymous with angels in Australia, at least compared to all the other freaky animals they have to deal with down under.)

During these “ballooning” events, the spiders will climb up as high as they can and release thin strands of silk that catch in the wind. It’s a lot like that scene from Charlotte’s Web. Using their silky parachutes, they can traverse hundreds of miles and find new territory to colonize. In the video below, you can see them streaking through the sky of Flagstaff, Arizona in 2014.

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