Converted Fan of Spider Silk; Still Not a Fan of Spiders

Until this morning I had never heard of a spider that spins golden silk. But here’s vivid proof, in a cape made from silk produced by over a million Madagascar Golden Orb spiders over seven years, now on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

A short radio interview about the process of collecting, and the silk itself, can be found here.

I’m particularly fascinated with the fact that several grams of spider silk placed in the interviewer’s hand seems to give no sensation of weight.

The fact that the beautiful silk is spun by the female spiders, and the role of male spiders is primarily lunch, surprises me not at all.