Got Silk
Southern Black Widow Spider
Latrodectus mactans
The black widow spider is famous for its interesting mating habits. But it’s silk, especially what’s called dragline silk, is pretty special too. Dragline silk is one of seven kinds of silk that an individual spider produces. It’s the silk that provides the structural foundation of the spider’s web and supports the spider’s body as it moves around. It turns out that black widow dragline spider silk is super strong and stretchy compared to most other silks. Which makes it an attractive item for humans to try to copy or modify for use in lightweight but strong clothing or even body armor. (Scientific American, June 13, 2007)
Uploaded on December 13, 2012