0

Given that the diameter of a spiders web is, for instance, far smaller than a thread of cotton. Why are spiders' webs so visible from a distance? What property of spiders' webs makes them so obvious (in the right lighting!)? I guess I'm asking, is their visibility something that could be leveraged to create highly reflective surfaces that outperform current standards?!

3-14159265358979323846264
  • 131
  • 2
  • Are you referring to spider webs with dew on them? Otherwise I think I'd argue that spider webs are not particularly visible, and being not particularly visible is important to their function of capturing prey that would likely avoid the webs if they were easily seen. – Bryan Krause Feb 12 '24 at 17:06
  • Thanks for the answer. No I mean in dry conditions. However, interesting you should mention dew, there must be an evolutionarily advantage for why they are more visible when adorned with dew, and thus aren't hydrophobic? – 3-14159265358979323846264 Feb 12 '24 at 18:01
  • Another Q&A to read when thinking about why certain traits do or do not exist in light of evolution: https://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/35532/why-do-some-bad-traits-evolve-and-good-ones-dont – Bryan Krause Feb 12 '24 at 18:02
  • Can you provide some evidence that spider's webs, when dry, are more visible from a distance than other substances of similar thickness? – Bryan Krause Feb 12 '24 at 18:03
  • I can't provide any evidence for that. However, having got older I see cobwebs before I see other "threads" of a greater thickness, so I assumed they're must be some property of web that makes this possible. – 3-14159265358979323846264 Feb 12 '24 at 18:07
  • I think this is actually a physics question. I forget the name, but for every material (and yes, apparently every material) there is a range of angles where the material becomes reflective. This angle might be so close to 180 degrees and the range so small that you never notice it though. – DKNguyen Feb 12 '24 at 19:18
  • Clearly you've never walked face first into a spider's web in the woods. – anongoodnurse Feb 13 '24 at 00:57

0 Answers0