ID#: 10125
Caption:
Under a magnification of 12X, this scanning electron microscopic (SEM) image depicted a rather ominous scene. Entangled in this brown recluse spider web, was the exoskeletal remains of an unidentified insect, which was believed to be an unidentified specie of ant. Known as spider silk, the strands of silk are produced by the spider’s spinnerets, which are glands located in the distal tip of its abdomen. Once the prey has become entangled in the web, the spider will cautiously, though aggressively, approach the prey, subduing it with a neurotoxic bite, which also contains proteolytic, or protein-destroying enzymes, and further enwraps the prey in a web cocoon like the one seen here.
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Content Provider(s): CDC/ Janice Haney Carr
Creation Date: 2007
Photo Credit: Janice Haney Carr
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Copyright Restrictions: None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.