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Happy Faces Ballooning to Hawaii
Hawaii's Native Spiders
Forty million years ago, volcanoes on the ocean floor in the middle of the Pacific
spewed out lava so thick that it reached the ocean's surface, forming a group of
rocky new islands. These islands were 2500 miles from the nearest mainland, with
absolutely no plants or animals. As time went by, though, some living things found
their way over the ocean to Hawaii. Birds, bats, and some insects flew there. Some
plant seeds floated there on ocean currents, and some seeds were brought by birds.
Do you wonder how birds bring new plant seeds to a place? Click
here for the answer.
How in the world did spiders get to Hawaii? They floated on air currents! One
of the most popular spiders in the world, the Happy Face Spider, made it to Hawaii
long before the first humans found these islands. Over thousands or millions of years,
these spiders adapted to life on volcanic islands, and now we call them Hawaii's
native spiders. And their spider ancestors found their way there in the first place
by ballooning!
For more about ballooning spiders, see this story and links:
Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form
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