Scientists have finally unraveled the mystery behind how spiders travel large distances across water. They say spiders rely on postures to make use of the wind direction to control their journey on water.

According to lead researcher, Morito Hayashi from the Natural History Museum, London, spiders use their legs as sail to travel across water.

“They even drop silk and stop on the water surface when they want. This ability compensates for the risks of landing on water after the uncontrolled spider flights”, he said.

Ballooning is a technique being used by many varieties of spider to use their silk to catch the wind and rise into the air. The right wind conditions enable spiders to travel up to 30 kilometres a day, helping them colonize new areas for food and other resources.

Details of the maneuvering ability of spiders across water have been published in the scientific journal BMC Evolutionary Biology by the research team, including Mohammed Bakkali at the Universidad de Granada, co author Sara Goodacre of the University of Nottingham and wildlife photographer Alexander Hyde.

The research team uncovered spiders’ seafaring skills after examining hundreds of common variety spiders. All these spiders were seen sailing their way across a tray of water while being puffed with air.

The researchers said that many spider species have a natural ability of being good sailors across open water. They even drop a silk anchor to stay in place. Once they manage to land on water, they travel long away in a week or two from where they started.