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Blog: The Darwin’s Bark spider

The Darwin’s Bark spider is appropriately named, because its body looks like tree bark.
spider

The Darwin’s Bark spider is appropriately named, because its body looks like tree bark. This particular spider is an orb-weaver those assertions two extraordinary titles: the silk they produce is the strongest organic material ever discovered and its webs are the largest in the world. In fact, the silk is twice as tough as any other spider silk and over 12 times stronger than kevlar. This silk one day may be recreated in labs to build stronger mesh, netting and structures. Until this time, it is just one of the natural geniuses of the world. The spider builds its orb-weave web over creeks and small rivers to capture dragonflies and other quarry. The web building process starts by riding an air current from one side to the other while releasing a steady line of silk to build a bridge that can span over 25 meters. After the bridge is complete they return to the middle and build an orb-weave that can be as large as 3 square meters in diameter.