Spiders are the world’s most diverse arthropods. With over 40,000 species worldwide and a population of two trillion spiders per acre in some areas, they can be found on every continent except for Antarctica where it is too cold to live outdoors. Spiders have been shown not only to survive harsh conditions but also to make habitats more habitable by controlling populations of other organisms that would otherwise overrun their environments like insects or weeds!
Spiders are air-breathing creatures with eight legs and fangs used primarily as venom injection mechanisms; these features allow them to prey upon all sorts of different food sources including flies, mosquitoes, aphids (plant lice), moths (butterflies) ants (+ wasps). This versatility has allowed them to adapt and colonize nearly every habitat on Earth except the oceans and open skies. Spider silk is one of the strongest natural fibers known, stronger than steel by weight for some species. Spider silk can be used as a substitute for traditional fiber-derived fabrics like cotton or wool; it may also be used in fishing lines because its tensile strength is much greater than that of natural silkworm silk. Spider silk may even be used to make bullet-proof vests in the future! Spider webs are a unique combination of sticky threads and glue; each strand is actually made up of multiple smaller fibers. The physical characteristics of Spider silks make them highly desirable for high-tech applications including aeronautical and biomedical industries. Spider silk is more elastic than nylon and cotton, yet stronger than steel; it is non-corrosive, biodegradable, resistant to ultraviolet degradation and some species of spiders can produce changes in the thickness of their webs within minutes! Spider silk is under investigation for many other interesting applications including coatings for medical sutures, artificial tendons, and use as a lightweight, low-friction material. Spider silk can help reduce the effects of osteoporosis in humans by providing an elastic texture for bones, but spider silk is also being used to produce artificial skin grafts for burn victims. Spider silk is even beginning to be used in bulletproof vests!
