Some spiders do stick to their own webs. A spider’s web is constructed of two types of silk: “anchor” and “snare” threads.
The anchor threads are used to construct the basic web; the snare threads are sticky and are used to trap insects. To get around the web, the spider uses the non sticky anchor threads.
Once in a while, though, a spider will inadvertently catch a leg or two in a snare thread. When this happens, she simply secretes an oily solvent to free herself.
Some spiders have a special claw called a scopula, at the bottom of the hind legs, that they use to slide along the sticky snare strands and help them escape from their own homespun death traps.
Related Posts
-
What Were the First Spiders Sent Into Space and Can Spiders Spin Webs In Zero Gravity In Space?
On July, 28, 1973, two spiders Arabella and Anita, were launched toward Skylab and fame. Their mission was to spin webs in outer space. They boarded Skylab 3 with three NASA astronauts. Arabella…
-
Which Species of Spiders Are Cannibals and How Do Spiders Eat Other Spiders?
There is a group of spiders sometimes called cannibal or pirate spiders, members of the family Mimetidae, that feed on other spiders, creeping into their webs and killing them. Many authorities believe the…
-
Why Don’t Spiders Get Caught in Their Own Webs?
Spiders use two different kinds of threads to spin their webs. One kind is sticky, and is used to catch the flies and insects spiders like to eat. The other kind of thread…
-
How Do Spiders Spin Webs?
All spiders produce silk threads which are used to construct their webs. The silk is produced in the spider's silk glands with the help of organs called spinnerets. By using different spinnerets, the…
-
Why Do Ornamental Cactus Plants Release Hundreds of Spiders and How Are Tarantulas Dangerous Spiders?
The story about an ornamental cactus releasing spiders is a popular myth. Such an event is particularly unlikely to involve tarantulas, which might possibly lay eggs or build webs on, but not in,…
-
How Do Spiders Eat Their Prey and Do Spiders Suck Blood From Their Victims?
Spiders don't just suck the blood of their prey, but the guts too. Most spiders bite their prey, then inject a venom that contains paralyzing toxins. Then they pump digestive juices into the…
