tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post2966409519994801692..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Bug Rescue Part 1: Black Widow KarmaWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-15950922972822745682012-10-20T23:27:26.565-06:002012-10-20T23:27:26.565-06:00I always feel bad for spiders...mainly because the...I always feel bad for spiders...mainly because they deserve a shot at life just as much as anyone, yet most of us kill them anyway. It seems so terrible when a black widow bites a person (98% of them survive), but nobody ever thinks of the poor guys and girls we're squashin'. Oh well. Hopefully the world will wake up to the splendor of these self sufficient and beautiful creatures. There's more info on this at my blog: http://spiderrescuecenter.wordpress.comWaverlyHillsFanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04290270789502951163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-7113877876864513042010-11-03T16:56:58.174-06:002010-11-03T16:56:58.174-06:00Today I accidentally ran over a tarantula on the s...Today I accidentally ran over a tarantula on the shoreline trail. Saw it too late, couldn't change my line. Given that it's the first tarantula I've seen in the wild, I felt really bad. It was still twitching a bit and missing a leg when I stopped to see if I'd actually hit it. Mark N. finished it off. I think he could tell I didn't have the stomach to do it. I don't think I would have tried to avoid a black widow, but maybe your bleeding-f___ing-heartedness has worn off on me enough that I would.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-39999241045443151572010-11-02T23:13:31.356-06:002010-11-02T23:13:31.356-06:00Here's another good article just on spider sil...Here's another good article just on spider silk:<br /><br />http://www.earthlife.net/chelicerata/silk.htmlKanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-58353639893393677912010-11-02T21:05:17.453-06:002010-11-02T21:05:17.453-06:00Watcher, can you give me some of your save-the-bug...Watcher, can you give me some of your save-the-bugs good karma to cancel out some of my kill-the-mouse bad karma?<br /><br />KK, way awesome quote about the silk. I have always wondered what spider silk is made of and how it can be so elastic. Chemistry is cool, especially inside a spider's butt.Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10896006691904225007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-74788654016017058902010-11-02T20:47:37.199-06:002010-11-02T20:47:37.199-06:00KKris- caption reads, "...not mine". I g...KKris- caption reads, "...not <i>mine</i>". I guess I finally found the lower limit to how small I can make graphic footnotes...Thanks for the video link. Silk is indeed way cool (and totally post-worthy... oh man, something else for the <a href="http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2010/02/pigeon-week-part-1-navigation-magnetic.html" rel="nofollow">list</a>...)Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-11641061099289991562010-11-02T11:44:18.703-06:002010-11-02T11:44:18.703-06:00I was intrigued by the SEM image of the spinneret ...I was intrigued by the SEM image of the spinneret so I went looking for a larger version, thanks to your reference. (BTW, the text you added is small, but pretty sure it says "Umm, obviously not male".)<br /><br />I found the image (and others) and a good article about spiders here - http://www.mnh.si.edu/highlight/sem/spiders.html<br /><br />The whole article is good. As a mechanical engineer with an appreciation for materials, this caught my eye:<br /><br />"Silk is a protein fiber produced in glands that terminate in spigots on the abdominal spinnerets. In the gland, silk is a water-soluble liquid protein soup. As the silk is spun, it passes through an acid bath. The acid hardens the silk by causing the molecules to reorient. Complimentary regions of the silk molecule align and bond together in multi-layered stacks, forming protein crystals. These crystals are interspersed in a matrix of loosely arranged amino acids. The protein crystals give the silk its strength while the loose matrix provides elasticity."<br /><br />Way cool! I also learned that spiders will often eat their silk to recycle it.<br /><br />I also took notice of the Theridiid spiders which comb the silk and some throw their web. Which led me to this video that first shows a Hyptiotes spider pulling a web and holding it tight, then at 2:00 shows the Gladiator spider making a springy net-like web that it holds and lunges onto prey to envelop them.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ehjos8Zc3E<br /><br />Spiders are fascinating. Moving with 8 legs, spinning silk, how they hunt, the eyes, the diversity of behavior - a lot going on with spiders.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.com