Throwback: Giant Flying Spiders Invade America!
This was an article I wrote for extra credit in my 6th-grade science class on May 9th, 2022.
Giant alien spiders are invading! The article, “Millions of Palm-Sized Flying Spiders Could Invade the East Coast” is about the palm-sized Joro spiders spreading along the East Coast. The Joro spiders came to the United States by hitching a ride on a cargo ship. The Joro spiders are common to China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. This article aims to tell us why and how they are spreading on the East Coast. Andrew K. Davis and Benjamin L. Frick performed the research. They found that the spiders could survive in hot and freezing environments. They also found that they had double the metabolic rate of the golden silk spider that migrated to the U.S. 160 years ago.
The Joro spiders could soon dominate the Eastern Seaboard. Andy Davis, a research scientist at the University of Georgia said, “People should try to learn to live with them.” This is saying that they are spreading and people have to adapt to them. Benjamin Frick said, “The potential for these spiders to be spread through people‘s movements is very high.” This means that they can spread not only by flying, but from hitchhiking. They could spread to the West Coast by hitching a ride on someone’s luggage. People on the West Coast shouldn’t be smug that they don’t have them. This research is important because it tells us they don't pose a threat. The spiders eat mosquitos, flies, and the brown marmorated stink bug which damages plants. Normally invasive species are bad for the ecosystem, but the Joro spiders are beneficial.
This research is important because it tells us why the spiders are spreading and what to do about it. This article tells us not to fear these spiders. They might look scary, but they’re not harmful to us and we shouldn’t worry. Next time you want to squish a spider, think about what they are doing for the ecosystem.
