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All spiders produce silk, although some spiders do not make webs. Silk is tied to courtship and mating. Silk produced by females provides a transmission channel for male vibratory courtship signals, while webs and draglines provide a substrate for female sex pheromones. Observations of male spiders producing silk during sexual interactions are ...
The average toughness of the fibres is 350 MJ/m 3, and some are up to 520 MJ/m 3, making the silk twice as tough as any other spider silk known. [8] The web of Darwin's bark spider is remarkable in that it is not only the longest spanning web ever observed, but is the largest orb web ever seen, at an area of up to 2.8 square metres (30 sq ft). [2]
The silk is a complex form of protein fiber that starts off as a protein-rich liquid and then dries into solid filaments, thanks to spinnerets, an external portion of spider glands. The material ...
A classic circular form spider's web Infographic illustrating the process of constructing an orb web. A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word coppe, meaning 'spider') [1] is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey.
This silk has been shown to be significantly stronger than steel of the same weight. Dragline silk serves as the spider's attachment to its web should it need to retreat from predators or just go back in general. This silk also forms the radial spokes of a spider's web. [31] [32]
The silk above the web is used to deflect insects onto the orb web below. [1] The webs above and below the horizontal orb webs are communal and maintained by the colony. [2] The horizontal orb web and silk are not sticky. [1] [10] The orb webs appear as a fine mesh curtaining, made of radii and a non-adhesive structural spiral.
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Like other theridiid spiders, the web is a disorganised, irregular tangle of fine textured silk. It is hammock-shaped and is made up of opaque yellowish-white silk. [15] The web consists of a broad base with many supporting threads above and below, including a number of sticky guy lines anchored to debris in the sand.