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Alithographica — Science Fact Friday: Spider Webs
#biology #bug #halloween #identification #illustration #infographic #insect #nature #science #scientific #scientificillustration #spider #web #wildlife
Published: 2018-08-11 07:50:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 2179; Favourites: 87; Downloads: 22
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Comments: 25
Ah yes, one of natures underrated miracles! I've come to associate tangle webs with widows, since every black widow I have ever spotted was in one, and their webs are the strongest I have come across; plucking a silk line from one almost feels like plucking a taught fish line.
I never knew some spiders use electrostatics to trap prey, that's so cool! People don't give electrostatics enough credit, I mean the force experienced by two electrons pushing each other apart is 10^42 times greater than the gravitational force pulling them together. Do you suppose the spider has to recharge its web after catching something? I can imagine a spider shuffling along its web, dragging it's feet to produce a charge
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eurgh I grew up with black widows, though I was never gutsy enough to play with one of their webs. Now I'm intrigued.
Electrostatics are super cool! I'll be honest that I don't know how it works/whether it's discharged and recharged or what. Though I'm totally onboard with the shuffle idea.
(I did read many sites that say spiders restring their webs regularly. Maybe they just add new silk often enough that it's not an issue? Or maybe the prey requires so little of the strand's overall static that it doesn't affect more than the local area?)
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I LOVE SPIDERS! But the ones in my house are getting fat from eating too much flies and now they can't do their jobs properly so my mom and sister end up killing them.
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I am very pleased with my mental image of an obese spider.
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Web design are cool, spiders arent, all spiders should burn
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Heyyyy they're just doing their best to save us from mosquitos and other annoying things. Enemy of my enemy, etc.
They just have a regrettable number of legs and a bad PR manager.
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I like that description 
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hmm, yes a regretable number of legs, mhmm very regretable *lighting torch flame*
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Had a funnel web spider for a while, and I'd greet her every time I parked next to her. Sadly, she was so good at her job that the bug supply ran out, and I relocated her to a barn where there is plenty of food.
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Aww. Thanks for being a friend.
Honestly I love and respect spiders but am still sort of uneasy around them. So many legs. I won't kill them but I'm not sure I have the bravery for a relocation mission.
In my defense I grew up in an area full of black widows, so. Actual wariness valid. I'm working on it though. I want spider friends.
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I'm the same way, honestly. I did research on her, and found her to be non-venomous to humans, which helped me be brave around her.
In fact, she was super terrified, and the slightest tough to her web had her retreat in a mere instant. It was super hard to get her out without hurting her, since she wasn't willing to go so easily.
I just hope she is happy and well now where she is, since I won't see her anymore. Put her in a spot nobody would find her unless they excavate the entire area.
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Spiders being scared little dweebs gives me life. I hope she's living well and has a loving photo of you in her new web.
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I knew less than I thought I did, tbh! The research on this was fun.
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All I can imagine now is a spider capturing flies using its own socks.
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You mentioned that some spiders use statically charged silk to catch prey and used socks as an example
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Ahaha yes! Good mental image.
I posted this at like 3am and had already totally forgotten everything I wrote, ever.
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Ever since I watched the Lucas the Spider videos, every spider is now a Lucas, just like every deer is a Bambi and every lion is a Simba (or a Nala). XD
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LUCAS
God I love Lucas.
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He's so adorable, it's hard not to appreciate other spiders, too!
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