British researchers have carried out a study to know the way spiders move themselves across water. The researchers said spiders can travel across water like ships. Spiders use their legs as sails and their silk as an anchor.

Study's lead researcher Morito Hayashi from the Natural History Museum, London, said to know about this trait of spiders, they gathered 325 spiders of 21 species around Nottingham in the UK.

The spiders were placed on water and it was seen that over a third of them took up yoga-like postures allowing them to use wind and move forward. Hayashi said some of the spiders were also using their silk to attach to other objects.

"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", affirmed Hayashi.

Study's co-author Dr. Sara Goodacre said they were aware of how terrestrial spiders travel through a technique known as ballooning. In this technique, the spiders use their silk to fly through the air. But it is the first time that the researchers have witnessed this new trick.

Goodacre was of the view that the study findings unveil that when spiders land somewhere, which is not ideal for them. Then they may have strategies to deal with that particular situation. Some spiders prove beneficial for agriculture reasons as they can act as pest controllers. Now, the research has unveiled how spiders actually reach there at the first place.