When you think of flying animals, what do
you think of?
Birds,
butterflies,
or bees might first come to mind,
but what about spiders?
Even though they don't have wings,
it turns out that spiders are actually 
 some of nature's best aviators.
So, how do spiders take to the skies?
Lightning storms are one of nature's
most powerful displays of Earth's electricity.
But even under normal weather
conditions, electricity is all around us.
The atmosphere holds a positive electric charge
while Earth's surface holds a negative charge.
Just like with magnets, similar charges
repel away from each other,
and opposite charges attract.
This interaction creates something 
called an electric field.
The force of this electric field is what
allows for some spiders to defy gravity
in a remarkable behavior called ballooning.
It typically begins at high pointy areas 
where the Earth's electric field is the strongest.
First, a spider drops an anchor silk to secure itself.
Then, it raises its two front legs in the air,
and uses special fine hairs to sense
wind and electrical conditions—
sort of like a built-in weather station.
If the conditions are right,
the spider then "tiptoes" on its back legs,
raises its abdomen, and releases its silk to the air.
The silk strands are charged, which 
causes them to repel away from each other
rather than tangling.
This form of static electricity 
is just like what happens to your hair
after rubbing it with a balloon.
Now ready to set sail, 
the spider breaks off its anchor line,
and lifts into the air using the
force it gains from the electric field and wind.
Once airborne, spiders likely
use their legs to balance or control speed
during their dangerous journey.
Most of these trips are short, but some can last for thousands of miles,
drifting along with wherever the breeze takes them.
There is still a lot to learn about
why certain species of spiders take to the skies,
and scientists are still gathering clues
about how spiders use electricity
to perform this gravity-defying feat.
What other shocking secrets could these spiders still reveal?
