Nature · 2
Which animal produces silk strong enough that it was historically tested as a bullet-resistant material, yet spins it from organs in its abdomen rather than its mouth?
Answer
The spider
Spiders produce silk from spinnerets in their abdomen using proteins called spidroins. Spider silk has a tensile strength comparable to high-grade steel by weight, and researchers in the early 20th century genuinely tested woven spider silk garments as potential protection against bullets.
💡 Did you know?
A single spider-silk thread thinner than a human hair can stop a flying bumblebee — its strength-to-weight ratio exceeds that of Kevlar.
Other options people guess
- The silkworm
- The hagfish
- The bombardier beetle
Topics
- spiders
- silk
- biomaterials
- arachnids
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