Tapping secrets of Aussie spider’s unique silk – Newswise

Newswise — An international collaboration has provided the first insights into a new type of silk produced by the very unusual Australian basket-web spider, which uses it to build a lobster pot web that protects its eggs and trap prey.
The basket-web spider weaves a silk that is uniquely rigid and so robust that the basket-web doesn’t need help from surrounding vegetation to maintain its structure.
“As far as we know, no other spider builds a web like this,” said Professor Mark Elgar from the …

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