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Grades K–2 · Organisms

How can a spider’s silk web catch prey?

A spider's web can stretch across a space where an insect might fly. In an orb web, strong supporting threads attach to nearby objects. Other threads reach outward from the middle, helping hold the web's shape.

O30 visual explanationOne sticky-spiral orb-web example: insect held by the web. Supporting threads anchor the structure. Capture is stipulated, not guaranteed for every contact; not all spiders use this kind of web.Silk threads form a catching structureAnchorsCatchingspiralOne pictured insect held in the web.Different spiders use different hunting structures.

In the diagramSilk threads form a catching structureAnchorsCatchingspiralOne pictured insect held in the web.Different spiders use different hunting structures.

Anchored supporting threads hold an orb web open. A sticky catching spiral crosses them and can hold an insect that touches it.

A spiral of catching silk crosses those supporting threads. An insect touching the sticky catching silk can become held. The spiral has support because it connects to the other threads, and those threads connect to the web's anchors.

The web works through its material and its connected shape together. Sticky silk helps hold an insect, while the surrounding threads keep the catching area spread out. Not every insect stays caught, and spiders make different webs; some hunt without a catching web. This kind turns a small amount of silk into a wide place for encountering food.

About this explanation

Starting knowledge: Recognize a spider, an insect and a threadlike line.

Sources

  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — Insect Zoo Audio Description Tour: Spider Strategies
  • Smithsonian Institution — Eight Strange but True Spider Facts
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