Many California residents are perplexed by mysterious objects falling from the sky. With the time of year, they could possibly be spider balloons. Several residents have submitted photos of these strange, white webby objects.
Environmental sciences professor at California State University Monterey Bay John E. Banks believes the objects are silky spider webs for “ballooning.” “No one has definitively figured out what they are, but they appear to be spider silk,” Banks said.
“Ballooning” is the process of spiders spinning out long lines of silk, so they can catch the breeze and travel to new habitats. Spider silk is very thin and light, the air is considered like a “thick fluid” in comparison. That spiders can weave their own parachute, or “balloon,” is a rather ingenious way to travel. Of course anyone who has arachnophobia may be tempted to set the skies on fire now.
A professor of biological sciences at San Jose State University, Dr. Fredrick Larabee, thinks the “ballooning” spiders could be babies. “After they hatch, baby spiders release strands of silk that get caught by the wind and carry them to new homes. That way they can find food and homes without competing with their siblings,” Larabee said, Fun Fact: baby spiders are known as spiderlings.
There is an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 species of spider, yet no one is sure which species is currently “ballooning” across California. It could be any of them, as this is the time of year for spider hatching. “Ballooning” helps protect spider populations from dying out, but there are many reasons why they use the method of travel.
