Ancient web developers

Though Hollywood has often depicted spiders as scary props in horror movies, they are actually among the most widespread and misunderstood predators in the macro world.

So, are spiders either big and scary or just webs of dust around the corners of walls? No, there are almost 60+ families With over 1994 species under 504 genera in India alone and over 50,000+ species worldwide each adapted to different lifestyles and hunting strategies. Let's see some of the web developers starting from who is around you at this moment; the one in the corner of your room is a cellar spider. They simply exist because of our poor eyesight!

True! When you see only the dust-covered webs, you may not realize the number of insects that your friendly neighborhood spider has been protecting you from, such as beetles and pests.

From commonly seen Argiope weaving webs around your garden to the large Nephila spider spinning webs in giant trees of the Western Ghats to capture their prey, spiders play crucial roles in our ecosystems. Most spider webs are finely tuned to detect vibrations, providing spiders with a heightened sense of their surroundings.

Each species regardless of size has their own design of webs specifically depending on the environment and the target prey availability.

On foggy mornings you may witness the webs of spiders glittering.

Others, like the Leaf curling spider belonging to Clubiondae family, use webs to fashion homes within bent leaves. This gives a safe place to stay till they move out for hunting purpose. Known as Sac spiders due to their ability to make leaf into tubular form. I was able to observe one of them building its sac more like construction of art this spider using silks from spinnerets on the leaf and connecting across . A wave of art in the minute details, spend almost fifteen minutes connecting the bend leaf then went on to rub abdomen of silks with zig zag movements around the patches to strengthen the structure.

Some spiders, such as the social velvet spider, construct vast kingdoms by covering entire trees with webs. Belonging to Ersidae family this species unlike other solidary hunters this spider lives in large groups and can be seen anywhere even in fence wires and electric wires. Once something traps on their web its feast time as there will be many inside nest waiting. The spiders make web nest structure to stay inside and build trap nest around it covering as much as they need where there can be more than ten to hundred individuals living in one colony. Stegodyphus sarasinorum, also known as the Indian cooperative spider is found anywhere in India.

Not limited to trees, spiders like the wolf spider of different size build burrow-like structures on the ground of grasslands and under the trees or nearby rocks. Hippasa is a genus of spiders in the wolf spider family Lycosidae also known as Funnel web spider for the structure they build. They are called wolf spider in general as they hunt down their prey like wolf but also they wait till some insects gets trapped in web like grasshopper, beetles or ants. The web nest size depends on their own size, sometimes as small as palm hand or as long as half meter.

While two-tailed spiders spread their webs across tree barks to sense nearby movements. This spiders are true tree huggers belongs to Hersilia genus mostly named after the two long spinnerets which is longer than any other spiders. They use this spinnerets Quite faster to capture and package their prey.

Similarly Ornamental tree trunk spiders (Herennia multipuncta) build webs around the tree and stays at the center. As usual females are bigger compared to male seen in second image.

Some webs are as strong as steel and possess elastic properties that scientists are still trying to decipher such as the spotted orb weavers of the Neoscona genus, which silently constructs and dismantles their webs between dusk and dawn. And spends rest of the day in meditative state.

These webs serve not only as hunting grounds but also as packaging for prey. Nearly every spider species employs a unique web composition to capture prey and sometimes to preserve them for later use. Once prey is trapped, the spider quickly ensnares it in a strong web that prevents escape. The spider accomplishes this within seconds effectively covering the prey with a blanket of silk while it remains entangled in the larger web structure. More like weaver taking the prey stuck and also covering the web over to capture.

How do they make webs? Well, they make it out of their protein that they store in the stomach and when it comes out of abdomen where there is organ called spinneret which they pour out in liquid of very tiny outlets which when comes out in contact with air solidifies to become webs. Here is a orbweaver making webs of bridges conecting with spinneret to navigate.

So are they heavy? No, they're as light as air and as strong as steel. Some use their silk to spray into the air to find the nearest point of contact, a behavior known as ballooning. In a way spiders are like pilots. They use their silk threads from high points to act as parachutes, allowing them to explore new places for survival such as the crab spider. Look closely as this spider sends out web into air.

Instead of thinking its just lightweight flight, scientist have found that the spider silks ballooning is based on Electrostatic repulsion by using earth's magnetic field. When the web released on air it is negatively charged and repulse with negative charge in surrounding giving freedom of flight

Spiders also use webs to suspend nests or egg sacs, displaying parenting instincts as they guard and even feed their offspring with hunt.

Web silks structures for egg sacs depends on the species like Cellar spiders do not attach their egg sacs to their abdomens. Instead, the female cellar spider typically constructs a web to hold her eggs. She then carries the egg sac in her chelicerae (mouthparts) and pedipalps (front appendages) until the eggs hatch. Some just hang it like purse, some build structure on a leaf to get a grab of her eggs.

Wolf spider species carrying her egg sac attached to her spinnerets, which are located at the posterior end of her abdomen. one of the thing I observed about this species is they can attack with some liquid as defense. Once they are hatched, she carries their spiderlings until they are ready to hunt on their own like a miny truck she carries them everywhere

As they grow, spiders move to new territories and shed their exoskeletons to facilitate growth. While shedding exoskeleton almost every spider utilize a special type of web. This web is the strongest they produce and is essential for their survival. When molting, a spider's body absorbs parts of the old exoskeleton and forms a new one underneath. It secretes digestive fluid to separate the old and new layers. The spider then pumps blood to split the old exoskeleton and crawls out. while the new exoskeleton is soft and flexible, making it vulnerable to attacks.

Here is a Tetragnatha spider hanging on tree's weakest branches. Despite the strong winds shaking it, the spider managed to complete the molting process relying on a single strand of web to hold onto.

Spider webs are their superpowers which enable them to perceive, capture prey and safeguard themselves. With different composition of protiens they use it for various purpose which might appear even thinner than a human hair has an ancient code of nature with amazing properties that Scientists has always been fascinated about and trying to decode. This ancient web developers has the power and mind to dominate the entire insect kingdom so be thankful the next time you see one, because all they do is ensure you're safe from pests.