Spider web

A structure of silk spun by a spider, used to catch prey, shelter eggs, or provide a route for movement.

Spider silk: A protein-based fiber produced by spiders for webs, egg cases, draglines, and other structures. Webs are assembled from different silks whose distinct strengths and stickiness suit different threads.
Spider: An eight-legged arachnid that produces silk from specialized glands and spinnerets. Spiders construct webs, but many species hunt without building them.
Orb web: A roughly circular web with radiating support threads and a spiral capture thread. It is a familiar prey-catching web design built by many spider species.
Active hunting spider: A spider that pursues or ambushes prey rather than relying on a prey-catching web. Its hunting strategy shows that spiders can capture prey without a trapping web.
Spider web evolution: The evolutionary history of web forms and web-building behavior in spiders. Comparisons among web types help explain how silk-based hunting strategies diversified.
Capture spiral: The sticky, often elastic spiral thread laid across the radii of an orb web. Its adhesive droplets retain insects that collide with the web.
Spider silk glands: Organs that produce silk proteins and release them through ducts. Different glands supply silks used for structural threads, wrapping, and egg cases.
Cobweb: An irregular tangle of silk, commonly made by cobweb spiders. Its three-dimensional tangle differs from the orderly capture spiral of an orb web.
Bolas spider: A spider that captures prey by swinging a sticky silk line with a droplet at its end. It uses silk as a mobile lure and weapon instead of constructing a conventional capture web.
Spider web diversity: The range of architectures and functions found in spider-made silk structures. Web diversity challenges explanations based on one standard construction plan.

Linked from 17 pages