Spider Webs

This passage discusses how spiders spin their webs.

Lexile Level: 600L

Categories: Animals & Nature

Spiders spin webs. The webs are made out of silk. The silk is made from glands inside the spider's belly. Spider silk is very strong. It is even stronger than steel. The most common type of spider web is an orb web. Orb webs have several spokes coming out from a central point. The spider then spins silk to connect the spokes. The spider spins both dry silk and sticky silk. Dry silk is used to make a new web. Then spiders eat the dry silk. They replace it with sticky silk. Sticky silk is used to catch insects in the web. Spiders replace sticky silk every few days. Spider webs come in different patterns. The patterns are used to catch insects. Some patterns look like flowers in reflected light. The insects think they are flying toward their favorite flower. Instead, the spider catches them in its web.