Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Konrad Wothe / Marbled orb weaver spider (Araneus marmoreus) spinning web, Bavaria, Germany, 2016

Theo Bosboom / Long jawed orb weaver spider (Tetragnatha extensa) catching Emerald damselfly (Lestes sponsa) as it emerges from its nymph exoskeleton, Hondenven, Tubbergen, the Netherlands, July.

Brian Bevan / Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) weaving egg sac, Bedfordshire, England, UK, Agust.

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Paul Bertner / Garden Orb Weaver (Argiope sp) in web, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Ingo Arndt / Long-jawed orb weaver spider (Tetragnatha nigrita) on web, Germany.

Ingo Arndt / Four spot orbweaver spider hanging from thread {Araneus quadratus} Germany

Pal Hermansen / Garden cross spider (Araneus diadematus) on web, Norway.

Claudio Contreras / Humpback orb-weaver Spider (Eustala sp.) on dew covered web, Laredo Borderlands, Texas, USA. April

Laurent Geslin / Garden spider {Araneus diadematus} at night outside house, London, UK

Juergen Freund / White spider (Araneidae) on web with zig-zag stabilmentum, Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Juergen Freund / Beautifully spun spider web, with spiral stabilimentum, Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

Nick Upton / 2020VISION / Female Garden spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping up fly prey with silk on web spun in garden, with house in the background, Wiltshire England, UK, September . Property released.

Konrad Wothe / Girl looking at Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) on web. Upper Bavaria, Germany, Europe, September. Model released.

Edwin Giesbers / Orb Weave spider (Argiope sp.) weaving web, Sarawak Borneo, Malaysia, June

Alex Hyde / Spinybacked orb weaver spider (Gasteracantha sp.} photographed on white background, tropical rainforest, Andasibe-Mantadia NP, Madagascar

Stephen Dalton / Garden spider {Araneus diadematus} constructing its orb web, UK, Sequence 5/5 , The final web is complete. Note that although all the final sticky spirals are visible, most of the radials are invisibl...

Stephen Dalton / Silver argiope spider (Argiope argentata) juvenile on web showing stabilimentum, Costa Rica

Stephen Dalton / Cucumber spider (Araniella cucurbitina) in its web, UK, Araneidae

Stephen Dalton / House spider (Tegenaria sp) lurking at entrance of funnel web, UK, Agelenidae

Silvia Reiche / Wasp Spider (Argiope bruennichi) in web, Hoogeloon, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

Bernard Castelein / Garden spider (Araneus diadematus) hanging on web with shadow behind, Belgium

Thomas Marent / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) female and smaller male, Bocas del Toro, Panama

MYN / Niall Benvie / Cucumber green spider {Araniella cucurbitina} hanging off plant, Scotland, UK meetyourneighbours.net project

Piotr Naskrecki / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp) their abdomen, or opisthosoma, is heavily sclerotized and armed with hard spines possibly to protect against birds and lizards, Solomon Islands

Nick Garbutt / Giant Orb-web Spider {Nephila madagascariensis} Mantadia NP, Madagascar.

Kim Taylor / Forest spider {Argiope sp}, note stabilimentum in centre of web, East Africa

Bernard Castelein / Bordered orb-weaver spider (Neoscona adianta) on dew covered web, Peerdsbos, Brasschaat, Belgium. July.

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb weaver (Micrathena) biting a flying ant caught in its web prior to eating it, Napo Province, Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Morley Read / Slow motion clip of a Spiny orb-weaver (Micrathena sp.) weaving a silk nest to protect its eggs, the nest is suspended from a thread to isolate it from predators, Amazon rainforest, Ecuador. Filmed at...

Steven David Miller / Golden orb weaver spider (Nephila sp) pair, female tending to web, tiny male on edge of web. Mary River, Northern Territory, Australia.

Steven David Miller / Golden orb weaver spider (Nephila sp) pair, large female tending to web, small male on edge of web. Mary River, Northern Territory, Australia.

Bernard Castelein / Bordered orbweaver (Neoscona adianta), Klein Schietveld, Brasschaat, Belgium. July

Tim Laman / Giant Orb Weaver Spider (Nephila sp.) Batang Toru Forest, Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Project, North Sumatran Province, Indonesia

Derek Galon / Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha sp) Dominica.

Derek Galon / Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha sp) Dominica.

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Cyclosa sp) camouflaged on branch in web, Tambopata Research Center, Peru

Jeff Foott / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes), Alexander Springs Recreation Area, Florida

David Woodfall / Close up of the underside of a Garden spider (Araneus diadematus) weaving its web, UK. September.

Nick Upton / Four-spot orb-weaver spider (Araneus quadratus) female in a silken retreat among Ragwort leaves, Chalk grassland meadow, near Corsham, Wiltshire, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Missing sector orb-weaver (Zygiella x-notata) spinning its web on an ivy covered fence at night, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Furrow Orb weaver spider (Larinioides cornutus) near a Green drake mayfly (Ephemera danica) it has caught and wrapped in its riverside web, Lacock, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Furrow Orb weaver spider (Larinioides cornutus) wrapping a Green drake mayfly (Ephemera danica) caught in its riverside web, Lacock, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Nick Upton / Walnut orb-weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica) female, near a retreat under the eaves of a garden shed, near Wells, Somerset, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Walnut orb-weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica) female spinning its web at night between the legs of a garden table, near Wells, Somerset, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Walnut orb-weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica) female, on its web on a garden fence at night, Wiltshire, UK, October.

Nick Upton / Missing sector orb-weaver (Zygiella x-notata) male on the wall of a house porch, Wiltshire, UK, October.

Piotr Naskrecki / Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila komaci), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Piotr Naskrecki / Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila komaci) feeding on grasshopper prey, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Piotr Naskrecki / Longjawed Orb Weaver (Nephilengys cruentata) spinning web with silk, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Piotr Naskrecki / Longjawed Orb Weaver (Nephilengys cruentata) spinning web with silk, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Piotr Naskrecki / Box Kite Spider (Isoxya tabulata), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Piotr Naskrecki / Banded-legged Golden Orb-web Spider (Nephila senegalensis), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Araneidae), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Konrad Wothe / Male Orb-weaver spider (Araneus) spinning web, Bavaria, Germany.

Konrad Wothe / Orb-weaver spider (Araneus sp) web covered in dew, Upper Bavaria, Germany, September.

Konrad Wothe / Orb-weaver spider (Araneus sp) web covered in dew, Upper Bavaria, Germany, September.

Chien Lee / Orb-weaver Spider (Paraplectana sp), ladybird mimic, Muara Wahau, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Chien Lee / Orb-weaver Spider (Augusta glyphica), Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Banana Spider (Nephila clavipes) male and much larger female, Taironaka Lodge, Colombia

Brian Bevan / Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) weaving egg sac, Bedfordshire, England, UK, August.

Emanuele Biggi / Spiny orb-weaver spider (Gasteracantha diardi) on white background. Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Spiny orb weaver spider (Gasteracantha sp), Madagascar.

Emanuele Biggi / Golden orb weaver (Nephila inaurata madagascariensis) Madagascar.

Paul Bertner / Spiked Spider (Gasteracantha sp), Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Encyosaccus sexmaculatus), ladybird mimic, Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

Paul Bertner / Giant Orb-weaving Spider (Nephila madagascariensis) in web, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Longjawed Orb Weaver (Tetragnathidae) with caterpillar prey, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha falcicornis), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Cyclosa sp) in web, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

Paul Bertner / Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha versicolor), Ranomafana National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Acantharachne milloti) hunting with bolas, Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Acantharachne milloti), Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Orb-weaver Spider (Eriovixia sp), bird dropping mimic, Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam

Paul Bertner / Spider (Caerostris sp), Antananarivo, Madagascar

Paul Bertner / Garden Orb Weaver (Argiope sp), Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Paul Bertner / Garden Orb Weaver (Argiope sp) in web, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania

Rod Williams / Orb weaver spider (Mangora acalypha) Brockley Cemetery, Lewisham, London, England, UK June.

Nick Upton / Long-jawed orbweaver (Tetragnatha montana) on web, riverside meadow, Wiltshire, UK, May.

Alex Hyde / Black and orange orb-weaver spider (Araneidae) Maliau Basin, Sabah, Borneo.

Alex Hyde / Long-jawed orb weaver (Opadometa sp) Maliau Basin, Sabah, Borneo.

Alex Hyde / Four-spot orb weaver spider (Araneus quadratus) female, close up of head. Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, UK, September.

Ingo Arndt / Spider (Nephila sp.) male sitting on female, in centre of web, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australian Territory

Ingo Arndt / Newly hatched Garden spiderlings (Araneus diadematus) in web, Germany.

Ingo Arndt / Newly hatched Garden Spiderlings (Araneus diadematus) in web, Germany.

Ingo Arndt / Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) caught in an Orb weavers web with spider about to feed on it, Cape May, New Jersey, USA

Ingo Arndt / Garden orbweaver spider on stabilimentum of web {Argiope savigny} Costa Rica

Ingo Arndt / Fly caught in web of Garden spider {Araneus diadematus} Germany

Ingo Arndt / Arrow-shaped orbweaver spider {Microthena brevipes} Costa Rica

Ingo Arndt / Spinybacked orbweaver spider, white colour morph, Florida, USA {Gasteracantha cancriformis}

Ingo Arndt / Spinybacked orbweaver spider, yellow colour morph, Costa Rica {Gasteracantha cancriformis}

Ingo Arndt / Spinybacked orbweaver spider, white colour morph, Florida, USA {Gasteracantha cancriformis}

Ingo Arndt / Spinybacked orbweaver spider, white colour morph, Florida, USA {Gasteracantha cancriformis}

Ingo Arndt / Four spot orbweaver spider hanging from thread {Araneus quadratus} Germany