Spiders and Silk

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The Giant Wood Spider
The spiders' abdomen has glandular tubules through which liquid silk, which hardens as it it makes contact with air, is produced.  The silk varies - thin or thick, smooth or rough - since it all depends on where it is needed.  It could also be sticky to capture prey, or it could be dry for the spider to walk on whilst it is building its web.

The thread is first secured to an object, and then the spider starts to pull out the silk with its hind legs, shaping the web in the process.  The spider uses its own body to define the spaces between the silk threads in the web.

Spiders build their own elaborate web from instinct.  This means that it has genes that control how each leg moves as it uses the silky threads.

Adapted from Focus Magazine, Issue 226 March 2011



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Silk being produced out of the glandular tubules
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Spider silk - a tough and flexible material
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