{"id":22550,"date":"2022-11-22T16:06:29","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T15:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=71085"},"modified":"2022-11-23T17:55:44","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T16:55:44","slug":"why-dont-spiders-get-stuck-in-their-own-webs","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/why-dont-spiders-get-stuck-in-their-own-webs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why don\u2019t spiders get stuck in their own webs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Helen Smith\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 22 November 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Orb webs are one of the most admired structures in the natural world \u2013 both for their ingenuity and architectural beauty. Attached to the supporting radial structure at more than a thousand points, the spiral \u2018catching\u2019 thread has a coating of tiny gluey beads that make the web lethally effective in intercepting prey.<\/p>\n

So how do spiders avoid getting <\/span>stuck in their own webs?<\/span><\/h2>\n

How the spiders themselves avoid falling foul of their own sticky snare is complex, with three different anti-adhesion mechanisms thought to be at work.<\/p>\n

First, although a spider\u2019s legs have to touch the spirals many hundreds of times during web construction, their area of contact with the glue is minimised by dense arrays of branched bristles (setae); second, careful engagement and withdrawal of the legs helps to minimise contact with the sticky line; and third, the legs appear to have a non-stick, chemical coating, perhaps applied from glands in the mouthparts during grooming. This latter idea was widely regarded as a myth until recent research gave it credence.<\/p>\n

More fascinating spider facts<\/strong><\/p>\n