Widespread concerns over the impact of human activity on the environment have resulted in
a desire to replace artificial functional materials with naturally derived alternatives. As such …

Engineered systems are typically based on a large variety of materials differing in
composition and processing to provide the desired functionality. Nature, however, has …

One of the only books to treat the whole spider, from its behavior and physiology to its
neurobiology and reproductive characteristics, Biology of Spiders is considered a classic in …

This is a translated and up-dated version of a book first published in German in 1979 and is
the first comprehensive treatment of the biology of spiders written during the last half century …

Spiders mainly feed on insects. This means that their fangs, which are used to inject venom
into the prey, have to puncture the insect cuticle that is essentially made of the same …

Insects are important because of their diversity, ecological role, and influence on agriculture,
human health, and natural resources. This chapter documents the dominance of insects in …

This is a first attempt to measure strain in the exoskeleton of arthropods during locomotion.
The selected sites of measurement at the tibia of large spiders allowed a direct estimation of …

Jumping spiders (Phidippus regius) are known for their ability to traverse various terrains
and have targeted jumps within the fraction of a second to catch flying preys. Different from …

The spider fang is a natural injection needle, hierarchically built from a complex composite
material comprising multiscale architectural gradients. Considering its biomechanical …

Chitin, as a fundamental polysaccharide in invertebrate skeletons, continues to be actively
investigated, especially with respect to new sources and the development of effective …