After a spider finishes weaving its web, it sometimes adds one last touch. A bright zigzag down the middle, like a silken “X.

Researchers used computer models to simulate if and how these features influence prey affect vibrations of orb-weavers' webs ...

The purpose of stabilimenta within the web is unclear. They could help collect water, regulate a spider’s body temperature, ...

Every year Halloween enthusiasts adorn their homes with synthetic cobwebs. Spiders bedeck their webs with “stabilimenta”—various woven patterns that are typically made of a different kind of silk than ...

Researchers simulated the effects that different web decorations had on vibrations, adding fresh insight to a decades-old ...

A study shows that spider web decorations help spiders locate prey by spreading vibrations across more silk threads.

Ever walked past a spider’s web and noticed it’s got zigzags woven through it? Congratulations! You have observed stabilimenta, a kind of “extra touch” that spiders weave into their webs that's made ...

The long-standing mystery around why spider webs sometimes feature "extra touches" known as stabilimenta has been revisited ...

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Entomologist Sarah Han has always been into spiders. "I grew up in California and there are a lot of black widows," says Han. "I would keep them as pets. One day, one of them escaped. That's a mistake ...