(ORDO NEWS) — Biologists from the University of Georgia observed how the web of the spider Trichonephila clavata withstood a bird 20 cm in size and weighing up to 70 g.
The scientists observed the spiders Trichonephila clavata, which are known as the Jerogumo spiders. These are nephilic orb-weavers – a genus of large spiders weaving the largest cobwebs.
The species is found throughout Japan, except for Hokkaido, Korea, Taiwan, eastern China, and the United States.
The body length of the female reaches 17-25 mm, while the male is smaller, 7-10 mm. An adult female can weave a web up to one meter in diameter.
For the first time, biologists observed how the red cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) got its food from the web. The bird landed on the web, scared away the spider and began to eat insects entangled in the web.
This went on for a minute, the structure of the web during this time was not broken.
According to scientists, the strength of the web is achieved through an unusual three-layer structure. In the center, the spider weaves a ball, creating two additional layers of web behind and in front of the center.
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