Why Don't Spiders Stick to Their Own Web? - Big Questions (Ep. 9)

Hi, I'm Craig. You've never seen my legs, and I have eight of them, and this is mental floss on YouTube

I'm gonna answer Rush Freak's big question today. Why don't spiders stick to their own webs

Well, Rush Freak, let's just put aside the fact that spiders are terrifying creatures who spend their lifetime tormenting me

by crawling up inside of my shower curtain while I'm trying to rinse shampoo out of my eyes

There are actually a couple of theories as to why spiders don't get stuck in their own webs, and it's probably a combination of all of them that comes closest to reality

Let's get started! So if you've ever had the misfortune of accidentally walking through a spider web

just leave a message and I'll call you back. No, you know that spider silk is clingy, sticky, and super hard to get out of your hair

However, unlike unsuspecting moths, spiders don't just fling themselves onto their own webs

They tiptoe carefully across the surface so that only the tips of their legs come into contact with the web

minimizing the chance that they'll get caught in their own trap. Hairy legs help spiders stay clean as well

These hundreds of little bristles decrease the amount of surface area the web can see. I have hairy legs Am I a spider Spiders also have impeccable personal hygiene Oh I not a spider If you ever feel the urge to spend a lot of time observing a spider you see them frequently pull their legs through their mouths to get rid of any small bits of web or debris that might cause them to get stuck on the web Maybe I am a spider That sounds like something I do

One of the big debates in the Arachnid scientist community, or ask, that's not a thing

has been overweather spiders have some sort of oily coating that also helps keep them from getting stuck

An obvious answer to this is that it isn't possible because spiders don't have any oil-producing lands

However, in research conducted in 2012, scientists found that a spider's legs adhere more to a web after they were

washed off with a mixture of hexane and water. This points to the existence of some sort of non-stick substance, at least in that particular breed of spider

Finally, not all spider web is sticky. Different spiders have different types of webs. In orbweaver spiders, only certain threads are adhesive

adhesive. Other spiders dot their webs with globs of glue instead of coating the whole thing, so it's easy to avoid the sticky spots

Then there are sheet web spiders who capture prey using fluffy webs instead of adhesive ones, sort of like immobilizing someone by wrapping them in cotton candy. Although, if that happened to me, I'd totally eat in my weight

out of that sucker. If you have a big question that you'd like answered, leave it below in the comments. Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube. See you

next week on the interweb. Don't get caught. You might get eaten. Bye. Information