A disturbing video has been shared in social media by users from Saudi Arabia showing an unspecified location in one of the country's deserts where dozens of blob-like black formations could be seen on the sand.
However, at a closer look, it becomes clear that these are actually myriads of tightly-packed locusts that begin to chaotically fly away as the cameraman draws nearer.
The unusual behaviour of the insects is explained by the desert's climate: by making such 'military formations', the locusts can successfully withstand high winds.
The Middle East has been plagued by locusts lately with social media users across the region sharing gut-wrenching videos of locust armies 'invading' their homelands.
Apart from the Middle East, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia were named among the countries most affected by locusts, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. However, locust invasions have also been reported in India, Pakistan and as fas as in China.