Spider spinning silk. Macrophotograph of a orb- weaving wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi, spinning silk. Spiders spin silk from specialised organs on t

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Spider spinning silk. Macrophotograph of a orb- weaving wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi, spinning silk. Spiders spin silk from specialised organs on the abdomen known as spinnerets. The silk is a fibrous protein that is secreted as a fluid and is stretched to form strands of a solid polymer. This polymer is stronger than steel. Each spider can spin several kinds of silk depending on requirements. Orb-weaving spiders use strands of sticky and non-sticky silk to make highly intricate webs for catching flying insects. Wasp spider webs feature characteristic zig-zag strand patterns. They live in southern Europe.

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Size: 3716px × 2408px
Photo credit: © CLAUDE NURIDSANY & MARIE PERENNOU/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, arachnida, argiope, bruennichi, invertebrates, nature, orb, orb-weaving, silk, sp, spider, spinneret, spinning, wasp, web, wildlife, zoology