How Much Weight Can a Spider Hold?

Spiders are capable of lifting much more weight than you might think. While it is true that spiders can lift three times their bodyweight, it is not uncommon to see them carrying upwards of eight times their own weight. This is a testament to the strength of their skeleton.

The strength of spiders is actually directly linked to their weight. Scientists are now attempting to artificially reproduce the strength of spider silk.

One of the best known examples of a strong spider web is the golden silk orb-weaver. These spiders can carry two or three times their own weight in webbing, making them one of the strongest creatures on the planet.

There are many different kinds of spiders, some of which are stronger than others. Darwin’s bark spider is the strongest spider known to date. It can carry prey weighing more than 170 times its own weight.

Several other spiders can produce a similar feat, such as the Australian funnel-web spider, which has the ability to lift an object weighing more than 80 kg. Some species even produce as many as four pairs of spinnerets.

Some scientists say that ants are the strongest creatures on earth. Ants can only lift about ten times their own weight in webbing. But the smallest spiders are a lot stronger than their larger cousins.

Another interesting tidbit is that spiders use van der Waals forces to create an adhesive force on their webs. This forces the silk to stick to surfaces.