Page 98 - The Miracle in the Spider

98 THE MIRACLE IN THE SPIDER

The spiders put designs like zig zags on the tops of their webs to prevent
birds tearing them.

Building Webs to Suit the Prey

Spiders weave their webs to suit the size of the creatures they wish
to hunt. The South American spider, for example, weaves a web with
narrow openings that enable more easily to catch the white ants which
come out to seek new nests in September. When it wants to hunt an insect

such as a large butterfly it widens the openings and increases the web's
strength and elasticity.
The angle of webs is also changed depending on the sort of prey that
is expected to be caught (flying, walking, crawling, etc.). This both lessens
damage and increases the trapping capacity.

Warning to Birds and Camouflage
Spiders tend to build their webs, which are so valuable to them, in

quiet places. The reason for this is to prevent them being destroyed by
animals or natural conditions. Spiders use most interesting methods to
protect their webs. One of the most interesting of these is to be seen in the