We’re wrapping up spider content (for now) with fascinating, continuing shots of a beautiful female Orb-weaver Spider, likely Spotted Orb-weaver (Neoscona crucifera), but perhaps Cross Orb-weaver (Araneus diadematus), exhibiting prey capture behavior:
Orb‑weaver spiders (family Araneidae) have a specialized silk‑producing anatomy that allows them to produce multiple, functionally different silk types for both building their web and wrapping prey.
When an insect is caught, the spider quickly injects venom and then wraps it in silk. This wrapping uses flagelliform capture silk for the sticky spiral and aggregate silk for the coiling, creating a strong, flexible cocoon‑like bundle. The spider can switch between gland outputs mid‑action, producing different silk textures and adhesives as needed.1
- General summary per MS Copilot search ↩︎