Tuesday 8 April 2025
Spiders “Rained” in Brazil!
Share
As per a reliable report, a rare spectacle took the residents by surprise in a quiet town So Thom das Letras of Brazil after hundreds of spiders appeared to “rain” there from the sky. The video of the incident from the town located in Minas Gerais,Brazilshowing the spiders drifting downwards was widely shared online sparking curiosity.
While the scene looks bizarre, this occurrence was not that as it seemed to be as experts explained it to be a natural phenomenon.The mysterious sight was the result of a massive web hosting hundreds of spiders, all involved in an elaborate mating ritual, as a biologist Kayron Passos told the source. The sight of spiders drifting downwards was merely the result of a large-scale event driven by natural instincts.
The female spiders have a unique organ called the spermatheca used to store sperm from multiple mates. In the female insect, the spermatheca is an ectodermal organ responsible forreceiving, maintaining, and releasing sperm to fertilize eggs.
The spermathecas,are a special pouch in the female in which spermatozoa are stored and maintained after mating. This helps promote genetic diversity as females can fertilize their eggs with sperm from different males. This increases the likelihood of strong and more varied offspring.
The female spiders may continue collecting semen, even after fertilizing their eggs, for future use as well. Archaeologist Ana Lucia Tourinho provided further insights into the behavior of these spiders. It was explained that although most spiders are solitary creatures, some species display social behavior forming colonies.
Several generations, often made up of mothers and daughters work collaboratively in these colonies to capture prey and share food. Usually, after mating these spiders disperse, though they return to form colonies each year.
Notably, this is not the first time when such a phenomenon took place. To be noted, theGoliath bird-eater spideris one of the five world’s largest spiders by mass. It weighs about 5-6 ounces. This spider delivers a venomous bite comparable to that of a wasp sting.
Spiders do not sleep in the same way that humans do, but like us, they do have daily cycles of activity and rest. Spiders can’t close their eyes because they don’t have eyelids but they reduce their activity levels and lower their metabolic rate to conserve energy. The difference between males and females is by looking at the pedipalps, the appendages near the spider’s mouth. In females, the pedipalps are thin and straight, while in males, they are bulbous and resemble boxing gloves.
Spiders favor living in an environment where they can hide and are typically harmless unless disturbed.
Newsletter
Stay up to date with all the latest News that affects you in politics, finance and more.
