Giant Flying Joro Spiders Are Invading Parts Of The US & Even Joe Jonas Is Creeped Out
They're very dramatic, but they can't harm humans! 🕷🕸
Joe Jonas and Sophia Turner. Right: spider web.
Coming this spring: Giant venomous spiders that can fly!
Researchers are warning that the invasive Joro spider from Japan could spread across much of the eastern U.S. this spring, and they won't exactly be creeping up on us when that happens.
Instead, they'll be flying down from the sky on web parachutes.
According to a study done by the University of Georgia and published in the journal Physiological Entomology, "a newly invasive spider from East Asia, Trichonephila cravata, or 'joro spider,' is spreading in the southeastern United States."
The spider can grow to a length of 4 inches, which in some cases can be bigger than a person's palm, reported CNN.
Even though the spiders are venomous, they aren't dangerous. At least not to humans.
They use their venom to poison small insects for their meals, but researchers say their fangs cannot break through human skin, so we're in the clear.
Still, you might want to watch the skies for these vibrant yellow-and-red spiders, because you don't want one surprising you on a jog.
News of the spiders has been spreading quickly this week, and even Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner seemed to be freaked out.
The couple reacted to the spider news in a popular video posted on his TikTok account, and we pretty much feel the same way.
@joejonas Oh… ok 🤷♀️
The audio features a man explaining how the "giant species of spiders" will be taking over and how they will "ride on the wind" with their silk string parachutes.
Yes, you read that right. They can literally parachute down from the sky.
This phenomenon is called ballooning, and it's when spiders make silk threads and use them as a parachute to travel with the wind.
Turner and Jonas do not look amused, even after learning that the venomous spiders are no threat to humans.
People in the comments were more entertained by the couple's facial expressions than the news of the spiders.
"You could take a screenshot at any moment in the video and get a quality reaction meme," one user wrote. "The facial expressions are EVERYTHING."
The most annoying thing about these spiders will be their three-dimensional webs which you might come across on trails and bike paths this coming spring, according to reports.
"The biggest danger to humans is that you might get a face-full of lovely golden silk if you walk through the web," Paula Cushing, senior curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, told CNN via email.
It's unclear how exactly these spiders got to North America, but researchers say the East Coast climate is similar enough to their native Japan that they will have an easy time spreading.
It was first spotted in Georgia in 2014 and has since spread to Tennessee and the Carolinas, according to the study.
This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.