If you have arachnophobia, stop reading now. Now, for the rest of you: A massive invasive species of spider could be on the move to the East Coast, according to a new study.
However, some experts aren't yet convinced.
The study comes from scientists at the University of Georgia, which published their findings in the journal Physiological Entomology. The study predicts that the Joro spider will soon spread from the Southeast to the East Coast.
The Joro spider is said to be colorful and can be as big as the palm of your hand. It originates from Asia and is believed to have made its way to the U.S. via a shipping container, according to the study.
The spider was first seen in the U.S. in 2013 in Georgia and has rapidly spread across the state and others in the Southeast.
But, while the headlines have made it seem like an impending doom on the East Coast, some experts have shared that the study is only a prediction that may or may not come to pass.
Dr. David Coyle, an assistant professor of forest health and invasive species from the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University, said that when it comes to the spiders migrating, "context is important."
"Can they theoretically live throughout the eastern U.S.? Yeah, based on the limited data we have and their native range," Coyle said. "Will they expand throughout the eastern U.S.? Maybe, we'll have to wait and see."
While Joro seems frightening due to its size, experts have said people shouldn't worry too much, despite it being poisonous.
"Yes, they're big. No, they aren't dangerous to people or pets," Dr. Coyle said.
The reason not to be alarmed is that the spiders can't bite humans as their fangs can't penetrate human skin, so they're not a threat.
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Reports have also come out about the creature saying that it parachutes, and Coyle shared that this isn't the case — you don't need to worry about them dropping from the skies like paramilitary spiders.
"What they do is called 'ballooning,' and it's when a little hatchling (freshly hatched) puts out a strand of silk that gets captured by the wind, then takes them away," Coyle said. "It's not like there are a bunch of 3-inch-wide black and yellow spiders purposely dropping down on your picnic table."
A co-author of the study, Andy Davis, shared in a statement that if the bugs do end up making their way to the East Coast, "people should try to learn to live with them."
"If they're literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they're just going to be back next year," Davis said.
While the average person has a healthy fear of spiders and hopes the study is wrong, scientists came to their conclusion by comparing the Joro spider to its relative golden silk spider or "banana spider" as it's known.
The golden silk spider entered the U.S. an estimated 150 years ago from Central and South America, and it too took over the region.
The golden silk spider differs from the Joro spider in how it handles the cold, as it comes from tropical regions and has stayed in the southern U.S.
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The study found that the Joro spider is not as susceptible to the cold as the banana spider, with the Joro spider having a metabolism twice as high as the golden silk, a 77% higher heart rate in low temperatures, and a survival rate of 74% in below-freezing temperatures.
"While we should not draw sweeping conclusions from this comparison of just two species, it is at least clear that the Joro spider has a physiology that is more suited to a cooler environment than its congener," the study reads.
However, Coyle said that the main issue with the spider is that we don't know enough about them yet. So, when it comes to the tests done in the study to show they could survive in the conditions of the North East, he isn't convinced.
"Surviving a 2-minute cold spell in a lab is a lot different than surviving a New England winter outside," Coyle said. "And the climate of the U.S. gets a lot drier as you move west into Texas and that part of the country, and we don't know if that'll be a limiting factor in their spread."
As for his predictions, the professor says that everything right now is only conjecture, as we don't know what will happen.
"So as much as we want to make predictions, they're just that – predictions and guesses," Coyle said. "Time will tell."
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