If you suffer from Arachnophobia, you need to look away now. Last week spiders appeared to be raining from the sky in rural parts of Brazil’s Minas Gerais state.
This short video published by The Guardian and the original YouTube blurb does clarify, that although the spiders, parawixia bistriata look like they are falling from the sky, in actual fact ‘the species builds a community web so fine that it’s nearly impossible to see with the human eye, giving the illusion that the spiders are floating on air’.
This typically occurs during hot, humid periods in summer and although they are harmless to humans and are not falling to the earth from the sky, if you’re not a fan of arachnids viewing this phenomenon may not be suited for you.
During the day these spiders, commonly known as the American colonial orb weavers, retreat to form a communal bivouac and at sunset they leave on mass, crating silk webs that connect to trees and bushes to catch mosquitos and other flying insects.
This phenomenon is not restricted to Brazil, other humid areas like Jamaica and Bali experience similar occurences.
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