How a web weaves. Mysteries of the web

Most species of spiders spin webs, but not all, such as tarantulas. Many tarantulas burrow into the ground and release a little web, covering the entrance to the “cave” to make it easier to catch flying insects. All spiders, regardless of whether they weave webs or not, have several common features: They have eight legs, all of which feed on insects. Remember that spiders themselves are not insects.

Spiders belong to arachnids, or arachnids - these are animals in the same group as ticks and scorpions. There are about 40 thousand species of spiders.

Why is a web needed?

They can weave very simple products, or they can weave real works of art. Even when the web is ready, the spider does not settle in it forever. The spider itself can hide under roofing shingles or in the corner of a window frame, or under a rock. The purpose of the web is to catch insects. It can take several hours to weave a quality web.

How do spiders weave webs?

For example, a weaver spider uses several types of threads to build its web. To create the base, the frame, so to speak, he secretes dry cobwebs. And in order to catch insects, the weaver places a sticky web on the base. The arachnoid thread (a kind of “silk”) is secreted by special glands on the spider’s abdomen. Different glands secrete various types silks. Depending on the purpose of weaving a web, a spider can use one or another web material.

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The round spider begins to weave a web, throwing the thread into the wind. The silk flies in the wind and clings to an object, such as a tree branch, which allows the spider to climb up this thread and add another thread to the original one to make it stronger. After the spider has made the general outline of the web, it spins a thread connecting one side of the web to the other. From the center of this connecting thread, the spider begins to weave another thread, which will connect the center of the web with the side thread.

Then the spider will lay a lot of connecting dry threads from the edges of the web along its radii to the center, like spokes in a bicycle wheel. Then these “spokes” are woven with circular threads. The result is a spiral dry web. Then an adhesive thread is applied to the surface of the dry web. Now the spider gets rid of the dry web and eats it. The fishing gear is done, the insect snares are ready.

Interesting fact: Some webs may be more complex, others simpler.

Web design

The design of the web, experts believe, varies depending on the method of hunting. To us, the entire web seems the same and consists of completely standard elements. This misleading impression is created because we do not see the web in ultraviolet light.

Why do spider webs attract insects?

Ultraviolet rays - component sunlight, and it is the part that forms the tan of the skin. But the frequency of ultraviolet waves is too high and is not perceived by our eyes, so for us it is invisible light. However, many insects are able to see ultraviolet rays, especially those that feed on flower nectar and pollen. Many spiders weave webs that attract these insects. How is this done? First, the spider weaves a web of threads that almost do not reflect ultraviolet rays. He then weaves a different type of thread into the web structure, which shines brightly in ultraviolet rays.

Surely each of you paid attention to the sophisticated, delicate, silky “handkerchiefs” that spiders hang on trees and grass sunny summer. When silvery dewdrops glisten on openwork spider yarn - the sight, you see, is incredibly beautiful and bewitching. But several questions arise: “where is the web formed and how is it used by the spider”, “where does it come from and what does it consist of”. Today we will try to figure out why this animal decorates everything around with its “embroidery.”

Stopped for an hour

Many scientists devoted not only entire treatises and hours, but also years of their lives to spiders and their webs. As Andre Tilkin, a famous philosopher from France, said, weaving a web is an amazing performance that you can watch for hours and hours. He wrote more than five hundred pages of a treatise on the web.

The German scientist G. Peters argued that, watching spiders for hours, you don’t even notice how time flies. Even before Tilkin, he told the world about who these people were amazing creatures, like a spider weaves its web, for which it needs it.

Surely, more than once, when you saw a little spider on a leaf doing its painstaking work, you stopped and watched. But we always don’t have enough time for beautiful little things, we’re always in a hurry, so we can’t stop, linger a little longer. If this was the time, each of us could probably answer the question: “How does a web appear, why does the spider not stick to its web?”

Let's stop for a moment and figure it out. After all, the question is really interesting, and the process is fascinating.

Where does it come from?

Spiders are the oldest creatures, living on earth for more than two hundred million years. Without their web, they, perhaps, would not be so interesting to humanity. So where do spiders’ webs come from and what does it look like?

The web is the contents of special glands that many arthropods have (false scorpions, spiders, spider mites, etc.). The liquid contents can be stretched without tearing. The resulting thin threads harden very quickly in air.

Each spider has several specific glands on its body that are responsible for producing webs. Different glands form various types and density of the web. They are located on the abdomen in the form of very thin ducts and are called “spider warts”. It is from these holes that a liquid secretion is released, which soon turns into a beautiful web.

With the help of its paws, the spider distributes and “hangs” the web where it needs it. The spider's front legs are the longest; they protrude into leading role. And with the help of its hind legs, it grabs drops of liquid and stretches them to the required length.

Wind to the rescue

The breeze also contributes to the correct distribution of the web. If the spider chooses the right place to place itself, for example between trees or in leaves, then the wind helps to carry the threads where they need to be. If you wanted to answer the question for yourself about how a spider weaves a web between trees, then here is the answer. The wind helps him.

When one thread catches on the desired branch, the spider crawls, checks the strength of the base and releases the next one. The second is attached to the middle of the first and so on.

Construction stages

The base of the web is very similar to a snowflake or a point, from the center of which several rays radiate. These central threads-rays are the densest and thickest in their structure. Sometimes the spider makes a warp from several threads at once, as if strengthening its paths in advance.

When the base is ready, the animal proceeds to the construction of “catching spirals”. They are made from a completely different type of web. This liquid is sticky and sticks well. It is from the sticky web that the circles on the base are built.

The spider begins its construction from the outer circle, gradually moving towards the center. He amazingly senses the distance between the circles. Absolutely without having a compass or special ones at hand measuring instruments, the spider accurately distributes the web so that the distance between the circles is exclusively equal.

Why doesn't it stick on its own?

Surely you all know how spiders hunt. How their prey gets caught in a sticky web and dies. And, perhaps, everyone has at least once wondered: “Why doesn’t the spider stick to its web?”

The answer lies in the specific tactics of building a web, which we described just above. The web is made from several types of threads. The base on which the spider moves is made of ordinary, very strong and completely safe thread. But “catching” circles are made, on the contrary, from thread that is sticky and lethal to many insects.

Functions of the web

So, we figured out how the web appears and where it is formed. And now we can also answer how the spider’s web is used. The primary task of the web is, of course, to obtain food. When “food” enters the web, the spider immediately feels the vibration. He approaches the prey, quickly wraps it in a strong “blanket”, opens the edge and takes the food to a place where no one will bother him to enjoy his meal.

But besides getting food, the web serves the spider for some other purposes. It is used to make a cocoon for eggs and a house for living. The web acts as a kind of hammock on which events take place. mating games and mating. It acts as a parachute, which allows you to quickly escape from dangerous enemies. With its help, spiders can move through trees if necessary.

Stronger than steel

So, we already know how a spider weaves a web and what its features are, how it is formed and how sticky webs are built to obtain food. But the question remains about why the web is so strong.

Despite the fact that all spider designs are varied, they have the same property - increased strength. This is ensured due to the fact that the web contains a protein - keratin. By the way, it is also found in animal claws, wool, and bird feathers. The fibers of the web stretch perfectly and then return to their original form, without tearing.

Scientists say that spider web is much stronger than natural silk. The latter has a tensile strength of 30-42 g/mm 2, but the web has a tensile strength of about 170 g/mm 2. You can feel the difference.

How a spider weaves a web is understandable. That it is durable is also a question that has been resolved. But did you know that despite such strength, the web is several thousand times thinner than human hair? If we compare the breaking performance of cobwebs and other threads, it surpasses not only silk, but also viscose, nylon, and orlon. Even the strongest steel cannot be compared to it in strength.

Did you know that the way a spider weaves its web will determine the number of victims that end up in it?

When prey ends up in the web, it not only sticks to the “catching” net, but is also struck electric charge. It is formed from the insects themselves, which accumulate a charge during the flight, and when they get into the web, they give it to the threads and infect themselves.

Knowing how a spider weaves a web and what “strong” qualities it has, why don’t people still make clothes from such threads? It turns out that during the time of Louis XIV, one of the craftsmen tried to sew gloves and socks for the king from spider threads. However, this work turned out to be very difficult, painstaking and lengthy.

IN South America spider webs help not only the manufacturers themselves, but also the local monkeys. Thanks to the strength of the nets, animals move through them deftly and fearlessly.

Indian summer is a great time of autumn, when you can soak up the last warm rays of the sun of the year, enjoy excellent weather, and see the past summer. But, as usual, something must spoil the barrel of honey. Web. She's everywhere. She poisons my happiness, scares me and ruins my mood. She's annoying! The web rushes towards me in the most unexpected places, even where someone passed in front of me a minute ago, even where there is no vegetation nearby.

They also say that the web is incredibly strong and durable material. How does a spider weave a web, what spreads it everywhere?

Algorithm for weaving a web by a spider

I read it, it turns out creating gossamer lace is a very labor-intensive process for eight-legged creatures (spiders, by the way, cannot be called insects). They work something like this:

having chosen a suitable place, a special secret is isolated from the arachnoid warts located on the abdomen, which, when frozen, transforms into a long, thin thread;
waiting for the breeze will pick up this thread and will carry it to some support - a twig, blade of grass, leaf, etc. and crawl to the place where the thread is caught, securely fastening it;
form another thread repeating the first, fix it;
crawl to the middle of the second thread and form the third thread, placing it perpendicular to the first two, and fixing it so that a figure resembling the letter Y is formed.

This is the basis of the future web. Then the spider extends several more radii from the point where the threads intersect, connecting their ends with pieces of thread. The result is a skeleton of the web, peculiar ribs with edging. Then, fluttering around this blank, the spider quickly knits a lace pattern on it.

The patterns are created using two spirals. The first, non-sticky, spider weaves from the middle of the warp, and it exactly repeats the shape of a logarithmic spiral. The second, sticky, weaves in the opposite direction and exactly repeats the shape of an Archimedean spiral.

Types of web

There are 35 thousand species of spiders on the planet. Not all eight-legged creatures weave tight webs.

Some representatives weave a tiny mesh of cobwebs between your legs, They wait for prey and throw a prepared sticky net over it. And there are representatives who don’t bother with weaving at all. They catch the victim homemade lasso from spider thread with a drop of sticky substance at the end. There are species that work together entwining vast areas with a web.

What is the web used for?

The most common function of the web is catching prey for food. But this is far from its only purpose.

Another web use is:

to protect the home;
as home decoration;
for cocoons in which females lay eggs;
as a means of transportation.

It is the last point that explains the fact of the autumn invasion of the flying web. This is how young spiders spread throughout the area.

Most people don't like spiders. They look rather unpleasant, and prejudices take their toll. At the same time, not only children, but also adults develop a keen interest in how the spider weaves its web. Why he does this is clear to everyone. But how remains a mystery. Let's try to open it up.

You won’t believe it, but not all spiders are capable of creating such elegant lace, but only those that use it to catch small insects which serve as food for them. These representatives of the spider family are called tenet. These include poisonous individuals, such as carakut and black widow. The same spiders that actively hunt can also weave webs, but they use them purely for other purposes.

In humans, lace woven by spiders often evokes a feeling of envy, they are so skillfully woven. The threads from which they are made are incredibly durable. From own weight the web never breaks. This can only happen if the length of the thread is more than fifty meters. As you can see, the safety margin of the webs is very high. If you pay attention to their subtlety, then this fact can really be envied. If you take a separate web and try to stretch it, it will break only after it has increased four times in length.

The threads woven by the spider have another exceptional property. They are transparent and practically invisible. Depending on the conditions of use, the spider can weave three types of web: strong, household, sticky. Strong web is used to create the frame of fishing nets. The jumpers in the frame are made of sticky threads. The spider uses a household web to close the entrance to its burrow or entangle cocoons with larvae. Some types of spiders can weave webs that reflect ultraviolet rays. It is used to attract butterflies.

Do all spiders spin patterned webs?

As it turns out, not all. Only araneomorphic arthropods are capable of creating real masterpieces.

Now let's return to the question of why a spider needs a web. It is clear that the answer suggests itself - of course, for hunting. However, these are not all its functions. The web can be used for the following purposes: to camouflage and insulate the entrance to a burrow, for cocoons, for protection. Paradoxically, a skillfully created web protects the spider's hole from rain. Spiders move along the web, and their offspring leave the nest along it.

And yet, what is the basis of the web?

The spider has six glands that are located on its abdomen. With their help, he produces a secretion called liquid silk. When it comes out, it begins to harden. Incredibly thin threads emerge from the glands, which the spider twists together with its legs. The result is a cobweb. This is how he weaves his lace.

If it is a fishing net, then he stretches it between the branches of a tree. Having secured one side of the thread, he stops spinning and waits for the wind to blow, which should carry the second side of the web to the second branch. After this, the next stage of weaving begins, which is similar to the first. This continues until the frame of the future network is woven. After this, a sticky web is woven into it. The spider eats all unused remains of the web.

Almost all spiders are predators and use their webs to catch insects. Shadow spiders catch flying insects. Those who live in earthen burrows are content with beetles, worms and snails. Water spiders catch small fish, crustaceans, and insects. The tarantula spider does not disdain frogs, lizards, birds, and small rodents. However, there are also those who eat their own kind.

Despite all the dislike of mankind for spiders, as well as the abundance of prejudices and scary stories related to them, the question of how a spider weaves a web appears in children almost simultaneously with interest, and the water is wet. The result of the labor of these unattractive animals often indeed resembles elegant lace. And if the spiders themselves are unpleasant to look at, and many are even afraid of them, then the web created by them involuntarily attracts attention and evokes sincere admiration.

Meanwhile, not everyone knows that such “curtains” are not woven by all members of the detachment. Almost every species is capable of creating a thread for the warp, but only those that hunt with traps weave trapping nets. They are called tenet. They are even classified as a separate superfamily "Araneoidea". And the names of spiders that weave hunting webs number as many as 2,308 items, among which there are also poisonous ones - the same as karakurt. Those who hunt, attacking from an ambush or tracking down prey, use the web exclusively for domestic purposes.

Unique qualities of spider “textiles”

Despite the small size of the creators, the features of the web cause some envy on the part of the crown of nature - man. Some of its parameters are incredible even with the achievements of modern science.

Strength. The web can break from its own weight only if the spider weaves it 50 meters long.
Exceptional subtlety. An individual web is noticeable only when caught in a beam of light.
Elasticity and resilience. The thread stretches 2-4 times without breaking, and without loss of strength.

And all these qualities are achieved without any technical equipment- the spider makes do with what nature has provided it with.

Types of cobwebs

It is interesting not only how the spider weaves a web, but also the fact that it manages to produce different “varieties” of it. Roughly speaking, they can be divided into three types:

Scientists have identified another type of web that reflects ultraviolet light, luring butterflies. Many people believe that a finished web necessarily has its own pattern. However, this is not so: the names of spiders capable of creative delights can be counted without much difficulty, and all such artists belong to the araneomorphic representatives of this order of arthropods.

What is it for?

If you ask a person why a spider needs a web, he will answer without any doubt: for hunting. But this does not exhaust its functions. Additionally, it is used in the following areas:

for insulating minks before wintering;
to create cocoons in which offspring mature;
for protection from rain - spiders use it to make a kind of canopy that prevents water from entering the “house”;
for travel. Some spiders migrate on their own and send children away from the family on long webs blown by the wind.

Formation of building material

So, let's figure out how a spider weaves a web. On the abdomen of the “weaver” there are six glands, which are considered to be transformed rudiments of legs. A special secretion is produced inside the body, which is commonly called liquid silk. As it exits through the spinning tubes, it begins to harden. One such thread is so thin that it is difficult to see even under a microscope. With its paws located closer to the currently “working” glands, the spider twists several threads into one web - approximately as women did in the old days when spinning from tow. It is at the moment when the spider weaves a web that the main characteristic of the future web is formed - stickiness or increased strength. And what the mechanism of choice is, scientists have not yet figured out.

Stretching technology

To be effective, a fishing net must be stretched between something - for example, between branches. When the first thread is made long enough by its creator, he stops spinning and spreads out the spinning organs. So he catches the breeze. The slightest movement of the wind (even from the heated ground) carries the web to the neighboring “support”, to which it clings. The spider moves along the “bridge” (most often with its back down) and begins weaving a new radial thread. Only when the base is fixed does it begin to move around the circle, weaving sticky transverse lines into it. It must be said that spiders are very economical creatures. They eat damaged or old cobwebs that turn out to be unnecessary, putting “recyclables” into a second round of use. And, according to the creator, it becomes old quite quickly, since the spider often weaves a web every day (or night, if it is a shadowhunter).

What do spiders eat?

This is a fundamentally important question, since a spider weaves a web primarily to obtain food. Note that all species of spiders, without exception, are predators. However, their diet varies greatly depending on their size, hunting methods, and location. All tenet (web-weaving) spiders are insectivorous, and their diet is based primarily on flying forms. Although if a crawling character falls from a tree onto a web, its owner will not disdain him. Those who live in burrows and closer to the ground eat mainly orthoptera and beetles, although they may drag a small snail or worm into their shelter. Among the diversity of what spiders feed on, there are also larger objects. For the aquatic representative of the tribe called Argyroneta, crustaceans, aquatic insects and fish fry become victims. Exotic giant tarantulas prey on frogs, birds, small lizards and mice, although most of their diet consists of the same insects. But there are also more fastidious species. Members of the family Mimetidae hunt only spiders that do not belong to their species. The huge tarantula Grammostola eats young snakes - and destroys them in amazing quantities. Five families of spiders (in particular, Ancylometes) catch fish, and are able to dive, swim, track prey and even pull it onto land.