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...

Nick Upton / Female House spider (Tegenaria sp.) at the mouth of her tubular silk retreat in an old stone wall, Somerset, UK, September.

David Perpinan / Slow motion clip of a Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) wrapping a grasshopper in silk, Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, August.

Michael Hutchinson / Money spider (Tenuiphantes sp) tiptoeing behaviour on daisy. Spiders can stand on tiptoes and produced silk to 'balloon' and travel with the airflow. In this image the silk dragline and feinte...

Ralph Pace / Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), Galapagos Shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis), Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), and Black-tip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) group working with Yellowfin Tuna...

Ralph Pace / Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), Galapagos Shark (Carcharhinus galapagensis), Dusky Shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), and Black-tip Shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) group working with Yellowfin Tuna...

Lucas Bustamante / Brush footed butterfly (Lycorea sp.) caterpillar with parasitic wasp cocoons on silk threads, Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

James Dunbar / Male Garden spider (Araneus) attaching silk to prey, England, UK, September.

Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Automeris zugana) sequence 1 of 2, photographed on a white background in mobile field studio, Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range, Caribbean Slopes, Costa Rica.

Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Automeris zugana) sequence 2 of 2, with wings open to reveal eyespots, a means of deterring predators, photographed on a white background in mobile field studio, Cordillera de Talamanca mou...

Alex Hyde / Sheetweb weaving spider (Linyphiidae) in web at sunset. The silk is refracting the light into a rainbow of coloured bands. Slovenia, July.

Jiri Lochman / Bolas spider (Dicrostichus furcatus / Ordgarius furcatus) female with bolas, a blob of silk at end of line used to swing at prey, only used by females. Bolas spiders also produce pheromones of specifi...

Ross Hoddinott / 2020VISION / Dew covered spider's web with pink flowering heather in the background, Arne RSPB reserve, Dorset, England, UK, August. Did you know? Spiders silk is one of the strongest materials in nature, equallin...

Alex Hyde / Apollo silkmoth (Ceranchia apollina) close up of cocoon showing silk fibres, originating from Madagascar. Captive.

Alex Hyde / Cricula silkmoth (Cricula trifenestrata) close up of cocoon showing silk fibres originating from Southeast Asia. Captive.

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.

Guy Edwardes / 2020VISION / Spider's web covered in dew, Westhay SWT reserve, Somerset Levels, England, UK, June. Photographer quote 'Always an appealing subject, but only on rare occassions is the air still enough to allow clos...

Kim Taylor / Jumping Spider (Marpissa mucosa) female leaping from acorn to acorn, using silk as a safety line. Surrey, UK, September.

Alex Hyde / Silk moth (Saturniidae) cocoon, used in textile production, photographed on a white background. Maroantsetra, Northeast Madagascar.

Alex Hyde / Close-up of the extendable silk net of the Ogre faced / Net-casting spider {Deinopis sp}, Masoala Peninsula National Park, north east Madagascar.

Inaki Relanzon / Traditional silk factory, Inle Lake, Shan State, Myanmar, Burma August 2009

Wild Wonders of Europe / Radisics / Silk tree (Albiyia julibrissin) close-up of flower, Madeira, March 2009

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

Jose B. Ruiz / Silk Flower tree (Chorisia spectabilis) in centre of town roundabout, San Juan, Alicante, Spain

Kim Taylor / Jumping spider (Marpissa muscosa) leaping from bramble berry. Triple exposure showing 3 stages of jump. UK

Duncan Mcewan / Silk button spangle galls on Oak casued by Wasp (Neuroterus albipes). Scotland, UK, Europe

Mitsuhiko Imamori / Suraka Silk Moth (Antherina suraka) portrait, showing back with wings spread displaying shades of pink, Madagascar

Mark Moffett / Jumping Spider (Phidippus apacheanus) jumping between twigs showing silk safety line, Arizona

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...

Lucas Bustamante / Ceiba or Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) tree in the Amazon Basin. Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador

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

Duncan Murrell / Lichen huntsman spider (Pandercetes gracilis) female with a silk sac of spiderlings attached to a tree trunk in the Danum Valley Conservation Area lowland dipterocarp rainforest, Sabah, Malaysian Born...

Nick Upton / Female House spider (Tegenaria sp.) at the mouth of her tubular silk retreat in an old stone wall, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Green-fanged tube web spider (Segestria florentina) female at the entrance to its silk lined retreat in an old wall, near Wells, Somerset, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Green-fanged tube web spider (Segestria florentina) female at the entrance to its silk lined retreat in an old wall, near Wells, Somerset, UK, September.

Nick Upton / Longbodied cellar spider / Daddly longlegs spider (Pholcus phalangioides) hanging on its web in an outhouse and feeding on a House spider (Tegenaria sp.) it has killed and wrapped in silk, Somerset, U...

Nick Upton / Common lace weaver / Lace-webbed spider (Amaurobius similis) near the mouth of its silk-lined crevice in an old stone wall, Somerset, UK, September.

Nick Upton / House spider (Tegenaria sp.) female at the mouth of her tubular silk retreat in an old stone wall with the moon in the background, Wiltshire, UK, September.

Staffan Widstrand / Wild Wonders of China / Pink silk tree (Alibizia julibrissin), growing in the East Lake Greenway park, Wuhan, Hubei, China

Sandesh Kadur / Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) with Cotton tree (Bombax ceiba) at sunrise, Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillar hanging from Box (Buxus sp) leaves. Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillars feeding on Box (Buxus sp), webs across branches. Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillars feeding on Box (Buxus sp), webs across branches. Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillars and webs on Box (Buxus sp). Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillar and webs on Box (Buxus sp). Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillar and webs on Box (Buxus sp). Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillar on fine thread of silk attached to Box (Buxus sp). Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) caterpillar feeding on Box (Buxus sp). Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Daniel Heuclin / Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) hanging from silk thread. Native to East Asia. Invasive species in Europe.

Alex Hyde / Silk Moth (Arsenura rebeli) female in cloud forest, Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru. November.

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

David Perpinan / Slow motion clip of a Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) wrapping a grasshopper in silk, Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, August.

Ashley Cooper / Pine Processionary Caterpiller (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) silk tent, in pine trees in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Spain. May 2011

Michael Hutchinson / Money spider (Tenuiphantes sp) tiptoeing behaviour on dandelion seed head. Spiders can stand on tiptoes and produced silk to 'balloon' and travel with the airflow. In this image the silk dragl...

Nick Upton / Social pear sawfly (Neurotoma saltuum) larvae feeding within silk tent on Hawthorn leaves (Crataegus monogyna) near Trowbridge, Wiltshire, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Lackey moth (Malacosoma neustria) caterpillars on silk tent shrouding a bush they are defoliating, Cornwall, UK, April.

Lucas Bustamante / Ceiba / Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra) buttress roots, Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

Lucas Bustamante / Aerial view of Kapok / Ceiba tree (Ceiba pentandra) in the Amazonian canopy, Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador.

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

Emanuele Biggi / Ogre faced spider (Deinopis sp.) with prey wrapped in web silk, Peru

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 7/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 6/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 5/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 4/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 3/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 2/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 1/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) carrying Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey wrapped in silk, Bristol, UK, September.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 10/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 9/10.

Michael Hutchinson / Garden Cross Spider (Araneus diadematus) wrapping its Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum) prey in silk, Bristol, UK, September. Sequence 8/10.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), two workers holding leaf to build the leaf nest typical of this species while another one is weaving them by the use of a larva to glue the leaves using silk. Kota...

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina), two workers holding leaf while another one is weaving them by the use of a larva to glue the leaves using silk. Kota Kinabalu Wetlands, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) working building nest, using larva to produce silk which glues leaves together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) working building nest, using larva to produce silk which glues leaves together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) working building nest, using larva to produce silk which glues leaves together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) working building nest, using larva to produce silk which glues leaves together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) working building nest, using larva to produce silk which glues leaves together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) building nest by gluing leaves together with silk, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Emanuele Biggi / Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) building nest by gluing leaves of silk together, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.

Johannes Melchers/ BIA / Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri) feeding on Silk Cotton Tree (Ceiba speciosa) seed, Bolivia

Loic Poidevin / Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi) on its web with butterfly prey wrapped in silk and showing a zigzag "stabilimentum" pattern on its web used to attract prey, Vendee, France, July.

Lorraine Bennery / Boxwood butterfly caterpillar (Cydalima perspectalis) hanging by silk thread, caterpillar hanging on his wire, Isere, France, April.

Lorraine Bennery / Boxwood butterfly caterpillar (Cydalima perspectalis) hanging by silk thread, caterpillar hanging on his wire, Isere, France, April.

Lorraine Bennery / Pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) hanging from its silk tent, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France, February.

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

Doug Perrine / Aerial view of southern Belize barrier reef, showing Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, off Placencia. UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. Central America, Caribbean Sea.

Doug Perrine / Aerial view of southern Belize barrier reef, showing Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site, Belize, Central America. Caribbean Sea.

Doug Perrine / Aerial view of southern Belize barrier reef, showing Gladden Spit, where there is a sharp bend in the reef, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, off Placencia. Belize Barrier Reef Reserve Syste...

Doug Perrine / Aerial view of southern Belize barrier reef near Placencia, showing reef bend at Gladden Spit, Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve. With two tour boats inside the reef, and three fishing boats...

Doug Perrine / Aerial view of southern Belize barrier reef, showing Little Water Caye, site of the ranger station for Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, off Placencia. Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System UNE...

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) at edge of lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with 1200 miles of canoe routes, part of Superior National Park, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) grove in early spring, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) needles with raindrops, Minnesota

Larry Michael / Red pine tree {Pinus resinosa} cone and needles, USA

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) at edge of lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with 1200 miles of canoe routes, part of Superior National Park, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) bark, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) bark, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) bark detail, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) bark detail, Northwoods, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) on Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) trunk, Northwoods, Minnesota

Benjamin Olson / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) trees in fog in autumn near Grand Marais, Minnesota

Jim Brandenburg / Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) grove in early spring, Superior National Forest, Minnesota