...and wondering what my story has to do with biology, webs, spiders, and even Sir Walter Scott! A spider’s web is its diabolical trap and it is constructed one thread at a time, and so will this story.
Spider webs can take a variety of forms, but the most common type is the orb web. An orb web has a series of spokes that lead outward from a common hub. These spokes are then inter-connected by spirals of tacky silk filament that are more flexible than and with an equivalent tensile strength of steel. In point of fact, the properties of spider silk are often compared to those of Kevlar.
Back to the design. The complex structure of orb webs varies from one species to another and biologists have even theorised that the specific pattern woven is designed in relationship to the prey the spider intends to capture. The construction follows a genetically predisposed and fixed routine utilising instincts that could be 180 million years old, and adjusting the blueprint to ground reality. The first line to be cast is the keystone ~ the upper bridge line from which the whole web will be suspended. The spider crawls up to a suitable position and unravels a thread of silk that drifts with the breeze and once adhered to a twig or branch the "bridge line" is formed. This line is then reinforced to give it sufficient strength to support the construction phase. From the bridge line, the spider then spins loop lines that are later dangled and anchored. Tightening the anchored thread completes the basic Y shaped frame that comprises the primary radii of the web.
Spider webs can take a variety of forms, but the most common type is the orb web. An orb web has a series of spokes that lead outward from a common hub. These spokes are then inter-connected by spirals of tacky silk filament that are more flexible than and with an equivalent tensile strength of steel. In point of fact, the properties of spider silk are often compared to those of Kevlar.
Back to the design. The complex structure of orb webs varies from one species to another and biologists have even theorised that the specific pattern woven is designed in relationship to the prey the spider intends to capture. The construction follows a genetically predisposed and fixed routine utilising instincts that could be 180 million years old, and adjusting the blueprint to ground reality. The first line to be cast is the keystone ~ the upper bridge line from which the whole web will be suspended. The spider crawls up to a suitable position and unravels a thread of silk that drifts with the breeze and once adhered to a twig or branch the "bridge line" is formed. This line is then reinforced to give it sufficient strength to support the construction phase. From the bridge line, the spider then spins loop lines that are later dangled and anchored. Tightening the anchored thread completes the basic Y shaped frame that comprises the primary radii of the web.
Amazingly, the process of building an entire web takes less than an hour for an agile spider, but since I’m not a spider, it might take me some time to construct. Bear with me. Each strand must be cast carefully and methodically to support the entire design.
So where are we?
Well, we’re about to cast the bridge line.....
So where are we?
Well, we’re about to cast the bridge line.....
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