Australia is a land of extremes. The continent is known for its deadly assortment of wildlife, but that’s not the only extreme thing about it. There’s also the weather. Recent floods in areas of Tasmania have caused unprecedented damage to residents’ homes and businesses. Dealing with a flood and its aftermath can feel overwhelming. It helps to have the support of a professional plumber who knows what to look for and who can help you avoid future problems. However, the extreme flooding has also caused wildlife — specifically spiders — to flee from rising waters in the most terrifying way possible.
In the wake of these floods, thousands of small spiders decided to hitch rides on the wind to higher (and drier) ground. This has resulted in large areas of land being swathed in spider webs.
Mass ballooning spider event!! https://t.co/hKrvWQiMlK pic.twitter.com/CCoScI901K
— Sophie Cook (@sncookies) June 8, 2016
Spiders travel using a technique known as ballooning, which entails throwing out strands of silk and getting carried by the wind. These “flying spiders” float along until they find suitable spots to build new webs.
Flood-hit spiders stake claim to higher ground in mass ballooning https://t.co/yEaMf4CIDx #Nature pic.twitter.com/B2VcBYmaYm
— Zesty Nature News (@zesty_nature) June 8, 2016
Spiders usually balloon on their own, but mass ballooning events like this are often associated with natural disasters like floods and fires.
Tasmania floods: Ballooning spiders fleeing soaked ground find refuge in treetopshttps://t.co/NtRzlagABC pic.twitter.com/biL86WZWMf
— ABC News (@abcnews) June 8, 2016
The flooding in parts of Tasmania has been absolutely incredible over the last week. One person has died so far.
In addition to the spiders, floods have forced other fleeing wildlife into contact with humans. Residents are being warned to give these creatures a wide berth if and when they encounter them.
Calls to watch for displaced wildlife in Tasmania floods clean-up https://t.co/UHSJaQl6fU pic.twitter.com/jTqPdezEWO
— ABC News (@abcnews) June 9, 2016
(via Sydney Morning Herald)
Sadly, we’re likely to see more stories of unexpected extreme weather events as the years go on and we continue to feel the impact of climate change. This is some seriously creepy stuff, folks.
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