Silk taps of a spider

A microscopic photograph of a spider's silk tappers reveals one of nature's most sophisticated biological systems. These are microscopic structures, individually invisible to the naked eye, although the spinnerets that house them can be observed in some species.

Source: Microscopic images @microscopicture

The silk taps (or spinnerets ) are located on the spider's abdomen and function as highly specialized microvalves. Each one is connected to distinct glands, responsible for producing different types of silk with specific physicochemical properties. Depending on the need—web construction, prey capture, locomotion, egg protection, or escape—the spider selects and combines these silks with remarkable precision.

From a scientific point of view, what makes this structure especially fascinating is that the silk doesn't come out ready-made : it's released in a liquid state and, as it passes through the microscopic channels of the taps, it undergoes controlled changes in pH, ions, and molecular alignment. This process transforms the liquid protein into an extremely strong and elastic solid thread .

Scientific curiosity

A single spider can produce up to seven different types of silk , and the diameter of the threads released by the taps can be less than 1 micrometer . This natural engineering has inspired research in areas such as biomaterials, regenerative medicine, surgical sutures, high-performance textile fibers, and aerospace engineering .

Sources:

FOELIX, RF Biology of Spiders . 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. (A classic and widely used work on the anatomy, physiology, and behavior of spiders, including a detailed description of spinnerets and types of silk).

VOLLRATH, F.; KNIGHT, DP Liquid crystalline spinning of spider silk . Nature , v. 410, p. 541–548, 2001. (Seminal study explaining the transformation of liquid silk into solid fiber as it passes through taps).

VOLLRATH, F.; PORTER, D. Spider silk as a model biomaterial . Applied Physics A , v. 82, p. 205–212, 2006. (Analyzes the mechanical properties of silk and its relevance to biomaterials).

SAHNI, V.; BLACKLEDGE, TA; DHINOJWALA, A. Viscoelastic solids explain spider web stickiness . Nature Communications , v. 1, 2010. (Discusses the functional diversity of silks produced by spiders).

HAYASHI, CY; SHETTY, AC; LEWIS, RV. Molecular and mechanical characterization of aciniform silk . Biomacromolecules , v. 5, n. 3, p. 1065–1073, 2004. (Discusses different types of silk produced by specific glands)