The spider known for weaving the strongest known spider silk is the Darwin's bark spider.
The World's Toughest Spider Silk
Based on scientific discoveries, the species producing the strongest known web silk is the newly-discovered Madagascan spider, Caerostris darwini, commonly known as the Darwin's bark spider. This fascinating arachnid is notable not just for its large webs but specifically for the incredible strength of the silk it produces.
Unprecedented Strength
The silk spun by the Darwin's bark spider possesses remarkable material properties, significantly exceeding the strength of other known spider silks.
Here are the key characteristics highlighting its strength:
- Tensile Strength: The silk boasts a tensile strength of up to 520 MJ/m³ (megajoules per cubic metre). Tensile strength measures how much stress a material can withstand before breaking when stretched.
- Exceptional Toughness: This measured strength makes the silk twice as tough as any previously described spider silk. Toughness is a measure of how much energy a material can absorb before fracturing, indicating its durability and resistance to breaking under strain.
- Location: This species was discovered in Madagascar, highlighting the unique biodiversity found there.
This extraordinary toughness allows the Darwin's bark spider to construct colossal webs spanning rivers and lakes, sometimes reaching impressive sizes, which require the silk to withstand significant environmental forces like wind and the impact of prey. The discovery of this silk has immense implications for materials science, inspiring research into creating synthetic materials with similar properties.
