How Fast Spiders Spin Webs

Spiders build webs to catch prey. They choose a location carefully and begin spinning the web. It takes them 30-60 minutes to make a large orb-shaped web, depending on its size. Some spiders use wind power to travel around the world by ballooning. Others are experts at weaving complex webs to attract insects.

To understand how spiders spin their webs, researchers studied their movement. They used two high-speed video cameras to capture the movements of the spiders as they caught and released crickets. They then slowed the videos down by 40 times to examine the mechanics of the movements. The results could help improve the movements of multi-legged robots in the future.

To build a web, a spider begins by lifting a strand of silk into the air. It then attaches the thread to the object it wants to anchor it to. Then it uses the vibrations produced by the thread to detect the motion of the insect. If the spider can’t attach to the strand, it may gobble it up. The spider then replaces the silk thread with adhesive threads to create a new orb-shaped web.

During the day, the spider works to repair damaged threads. In the evening, the spider turns to building a new web. To do so, the spider produces silk threads in its silk glands. These threads are sticky and resiliant, which allows them to stretch up to 30 percent of their original length. This means they can hang underneath the thread while it’s in the air.

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