Why Does Spiders Make Webs?
Spiders make webs because it helps them attract and catch their prey. They also use it to protect themselves and their home. In the past, they built circular webs, but eventually began to make horizontal nets.
To make a web, a spider releases a long, sticky thread into the air. It is then anchored to the object below by a second thread. It is these threads that become the radii of the web. The spider works from inside out. The spider stretches the first thread, adds footholds, crosses it, and anchors the second to the object below. Then the spider spins the spiral.
The silk is made from protein chains that are connected by repeating DNA sequences. The silk is stretchy and lightweight. However, it loses its stickiness over time. Its strength depends on the amount of protein that is spun into it. The spider’s silk glands produce several types of thread.
The main reason that spiders make webs is to trap their prey. A spider’s venom turns the guts of its prey into liquid. The spider then injects its venom into its prey, killing it. Some spiders even leave egg sacs in their webs.
Scientists still don’t understand how spiders make their webs. They think it may be a part of their sensory apparatus. The spiders use vibrations in the web to locate its prey. A spider’s web is also a handy indicator of the environmental chemistry of a place.