A Tiny Darwin’s Bark Spider Shoots a Silk Line Over 25 Meters to Begin Spinning Her Giant Web

In a wonderful slow-motion clip from the BBC Earth series “The Hunt“, the legendary Sir David Attenborough explains the fascinating process by which a female Darwin’s Bark Spider builds her impressive web, which spans nearly two meters (6.5 feet) around. First, she shoots a spray of silk that reaches over 25 meters (82 feet) across the river, rids it of an intruder, reinforces it and then begins spinning.

Which marvel of nature can build a 2 metre Orb Web with a silk that ranks as the World’s toughest natural fibre? – The answer is the Darwin’s Bark Spider and this real life “Spider Woman”, no bigger than a thumbnail has baffled scientists with her web of steel.