I commented on how these spiders appear in late summer and spin webs in open places where they hadn't been earlier in the year. Spiders that spin webs every night but the webs are gone in the daylight. This guy told me that the spiders eat the webs. I don't believe it.
2006-09-03 14:28:02 · 11 answers · asked by February Rain 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
That guy was right.
It depends on the spider. Some spiders like the orb weavers make their webs daily so in order to converse energy and resources (protein), they consume their own silk.
I have even watched a spider do this after it scaled to the ceiling. if you've ever seen a spider climb a line up and drag the silk line back up to itself, where do you suppose it's putting the silk? The silk doesn't 'retract' back into the body, if you watch, the spider consumes the silk as it reels it in.
Read about how orb weavers eat their webs to conserve protein here:
http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=20019
Read a different article as confirmation here:
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-11/1006805698.Gb.r.html
Read about the spider sucking fluids myth here:
http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/suckjuices.html
Read about spider's mouthparts here (contrary to popular belief, spiders to possess mouths and do not suck fluids through thier fangs. Fangs are for injecting venom ONLY.):
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/spiders/anatomy/spideranatomy.htm
Edit: Reading backwards, I looked at one of the link that said that spiders only ingest liquid foods and was reasonably shocked that a scientist would say that because he is simply wrong. Added some articles that refute the 'spiders only suck fluid out of their prey'.
2006-09-03 22:42:22 · answer #1 · answered by slynx000 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some spiders eat their webs, some don't. The
silk is a protein and the web-eating spiders recycle
it. The business about eating solid or liquid food
needs a little clarification. The spider can ingest
(i.e. swallow) only liquid or semi-liquid food because its digestive tract is very small in diameter
in the anterior part. It predigests its prey by
injecting digestive juices into or onto it. Small
spiders with weak mouthparts inject the digestive
juices into the holes made by the fangs, then suck
out the digested fluids. When they are through with the prey item it may consist of just a hollowed
out exoskeleton showing no apparent damage
except the fang holes where it was bitten. The
digestive fluids come from the mouth, not through
the fangs, the fangs only inject venom. In large
spiders with strong mouthparts the prey is chewed
(actually more torn) by the fangs and the remnants
of the prey may be just a ball of fragments. The
solid tissues have been digested and the liquid
digested material swallowed. A big spider like a
tarantula, fishing spider or giant crab spider can
reduce a lizard, bird, fish, snake or young mammal
to a damp ball about the size of a large pea.
Going back to web eating, it appears that some
spiders get extra food by eating the web to which
may be clinging tiny insects that the spider ignored
before because of their size, and some of them
apparently even derive some nourishment from
plant pollen that may be adhering to the web.
2006-09-04 10:32:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually,if the spider feels that the location of the web will be in danger from birds and other predators,it will eat it's own web,recycle it and spin another in a new location.
2006-09-03 21:31:16 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Spiders do not eat their webs. They make their webs so that they can capture food. They are preying on the insects that fly into and get stuck in their webs.
2006-09-04 06:23:16 · answer #4 · answered by fieldworking 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES spiders do eat their webs!! it is a way to replace the minerals used to make the first web!! they re-cycle!
2006-09-03 21:31:33 · answer #5 · answered by fuzzykjun 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she needs to rebuild a web, she will eat the broken strands and digest them. This helps her make more new silk. Nothing is wasted.
2006-09-03 21:31:21 · answer #6 · answered by crissyll22 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wish! I'd like them better if they'd tidy up and not leave all those spider webs for me to clean out of...everywhere!
Try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiders#Digestion
2006-09-03 21:32:09 · answer #7 · answered by tantiemeg 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, because they can only ingest liquid food.
2006-09-03 21:33:19 · answer #8 · answered by +bookish+ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some do, yes.
2006-09-03 21:31:27 · answer #9 · answered by Re Fined 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No they dont
2006-09-03 21:30:10 · answer #10 · answered by ĵōē¥ → đ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋