Perhaps it's a little too early for Halloween, but Dallas is already got tangled in flying spider webs that seemingly come out of nowhere to float around and stick to cars, trees, the pavements, and even to human hair.
According to Yahoo! News, the silky strands that fly around the city are from sprouting spiders, which according to Dallas Zoo Invertebrate Keeper Tim Brys is very common phenomenon in the fall.
"You have baby spiders of various species that, something triggers them to hatch and then, directly after hatching, they'll spread a long silk line out behind their abdomen," Brys told ABC News. "The wind catches that and lifts them into the air like a balloon." (very Charlotte's Web!)
Brys said that the phenomenon is referred to as "ballooning," adding that this is the mechanism spiders use to spread in different areas so as to cut down the competition on resources.
Residents have been calling the Dallas Zoo inquiring about the silky strands that run to and fro to where the wind blows. The ghostly strands could range in length from a few inches to as much as 10 feet, and they can appear as though they are Halloween decorations that are actually very common this time of year.
However, ballooning isn't actually an exclusive thing to Dallas; it also happens elsewhere, wherever an abundance of spiders live. Nevertheless, Brys said that the phenomenon is more noticeable in Dallas due to the present weather condition in the area: cold nights, hot days with a lack of breeze during the day.
"It happens every year, pretty much, but we normally don't notice it as much as we have this year," he added. "What I've been told is the weather conditions have caused the ballooning spiders to not be able to balloon as far or as well, and that their lines are probably getting tangled up as they're blowing."
Brys assured residents that there is nothing to be afraid of although some species of spiders are capable of producing poisonous "ballooning," the young, newly-hatched babies' venom is not at all a threat or dangerous to humans
"Most people will never see these spiders and will never even know they were there because they're so small," he said. "So there's really nothing to worry about, and there's really nothing you have to do about it."
A bug specialist, Brys pointed out that the timing of the presence of the lofty webs in Dallas is favorable. "The timing for Halloween is pretty good," he said.
"I had somebody ask me yesterday if it was possible that maybe Spider-Man was lurking around the area. I laughed and told them that, although I don't think there is any," Brys added, "you know, that I can't discount that there may be a superhero in the area, it's most likely baby spiders ballooning."
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