Spider silks exhibit remarkable properties, surpassing most natural and synthetic materials
in both strength and toughness. Orb-web spider dragline silk is the focus of intense research …

Spider silk is of great interest because of its extraordinary physical properties, such as
strength and toughness. Here we discuss how these physical properties relate to the way in …

The sticky prey capture threads of orb-webs are critical to web performance. By retaining
insects that strike the web, these spirally arrayed threads allow a spider time to locate and …

Aggregate silk glands (Ag) of araneoid spiders are unusual because their products are not
dry fibers but aqueous secretions, best known for acting as glues that aid in prey capture …

Orb-weaving spiders use adhesive threads to delay the escape of insects from their webs
until the spiders can locate and subdue the insects. These viscous threads are spun as …

Spiders from four families [Atrax and Hadronyche (Hexathelidae), Loxosceles (Sicariidae),
Latrodectus (Theridiidae) and Phoneutria (Ctenidae), with several species each] may cause …

1. Protein is important for a foraging animal to consume, as it promotes growth and
enhances survival, particularly in web‐building spiders, which need to invest considerable …

Wind has previously been shown to influence the location and orientation of spider web
sites and also the geometry and material composition of constructed orb webs. We now …

An orb web's prey capture thread relies on its glue droplets to retain insects until a spider
can subdue them. Each droplet's viscoelastic glycoprotein adhesive core extends to …

Several recent studies emphasize, correctly, that the biomass of prey captured by an orb
web is likely more important than the number of prey in driving the evolution of web designs …