Sunday 6 July 2014

Why the Spider Does Not Get Trapped in its Web

The spider walking on straight threads
Wikimedia Commons by John Allan

The spider makes a web from the sap which comes out of its glands.

These special glands are located in the spinneret organ located in the underside or rear of the abdomen of the spider or the caterpillar.

A spider has two or three spinnerets. 

The spinneret is the silk spinning organ from where the spider ejects a liquid through long ducts leading to very small or microscopic spigots.

The spiders have two or three spinnerets.

The liquid coming out of the spinnerets gets hardened outside the body of the spider and gets transformed into a strong fiber.

These fibers are used to form the web. 

The web has two types of fibrous elements. 

The dry fiber makes the frame of the web. The spokes or cross lines of the web are made of a sticky fiber which traps the insects. 

The spider walks over the dry fibrous frame to reach the trapped insect and that is why the spider does not get trapped in its own web.

On the other hand the body of the spider is naturally coated with an oily layer which minimizes its chances of getting trapped in its own web.

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