Why Do Spiders Make Webs?

Words to Know

Spinnerets

The body parts on a spider's back end that spin silk

Silk comes out of the spinnerets!

Silk

The super-strong thread that spiders make

Spider silk is stronger than steel!

Orb web

The classic round spiral web

An orb web looks like a bicycle wheel!

Dragline

A silk safety line a spider uses to drop down

A spider uses a dragline like a bungee cord!

Ballooning

When baby spiders use silk to fly through the air

Ballooning lets baby spiders travel for miles!

Venom

A special liquid some animals make — spiders use it to catch food

Spiders use venom to catch bugs, not to hurt people!

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• Spiders produce silk from organs called spinnerets, located at the rear of the abdomen

  Source: National Geographic, "Spider Silk"

• Spider silk is approximately 5 times stronger than steel of the same diameter

  Source: Blackledge, T.A., et al., 2011, "How super is spider silk?" Journal of Experimental Biology

• Not all spiders build webs — some hunt by jumping (jumping spiders) or chasing (wolf spiders)

  Source: University of Michigan BioKids, "Spiders"

• Orb webs are the classic circular spiral webs; tangle webs (cobwebs) are irregular; funnel webs have a tunnel-like retreat

  Source: Australian Museum, "Spider Webs"

• Spiders avoid sticking to their own webs by walking on non-sticky silk threads and using special oils on their feet

  Source: University of California, Riverside, "How Spiders Avoid Getting Caught in Their Own Webs"

• Spider silk has multiple uses: prey capture, dragline safety lines (bungee-like), egg sac wrapping, and ballooning

  Source: National Geographic