Spider Webs
Spiders are often classified according to their food gathering methods.
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All spider webs are made from silk, produced by an organ called spinnerets, which is located on the spider's abdomen. The article on writing spiders provides a good picture of a spider's spinnerets spraying silk on an insect. Spinnerets on today's spiders generally are less in number and located lower on the abdomen than the spinnerets on their prehistoric counterparts.
All spiders, including the hunters, use silk for one reason or another. Jumping spiders, classified as hunting spiders, use silk as a type of bungee cord for added protection as they literally jump from leaf to leaf or branch to branch in search of prey. Because of their specialized hunting method, web building spiders typically have a larger number of silk glands than hunting spiders. (see Silk - the spider's success story)
Spiders are often further classified according to the types of webs they build. Three of the better known groups are the orb weavers, cobweb spiders and funnel weavers. The picture on the left shows a basic orb web. Many common garden spiders, such as the writing spider, are orb weavers.
Cobweb spiders belong to the family Theridiidae. They make their multidimensional webs in many homes and gardens. Most references you read on the internet also point out that black widow spiders (redback spiders in Australia) belong to this family.
Funnel web spiders are members of the family Agelenidae. They are also referred to as grass spiders because their webs are commonly found at ground level. Like cobweb spiders, their webs are multidimensional, with the added feature of a built in funnel shaped hole. It serves as protection as the spider waits to catch prey. There are close to one hundred different species of funnel web spiders in the United States.
© 2007 Patricia A. Michaels