Spider: Architect And Builder

What was that reaching up from the ground? A wire? An Antenna? It looked like it came from nowhere and went nowhere. When I touched it, I discovered it was a spider web. How did that single strand of web get there from a tree down to the ground? Or from the ground to the tree? How did that spider span that long stretch with his web? Did he throw it to a partner in construction, and did that partner anchor the other end? I wanted to find out.

Spiders are marvelously created creatures. Spider fossils are rare. The approximately one thousand described spiders identified by evolutionists date back to the Devonian period, about 400 – 350  million years ago. Yet, when these millions of years old fossils are discovered, they all have eight legs, remarkable eyesight, and are 100% spiders as we know them today. No evolution in the last 350 to 400 million years! Doesn’t look good for the evolution theory.

Today, engineers recognize spiders for their incredible engineering skills in constructing webs. There are several basic types of webs. These include the spiral orb, tangle web, funnel web, sheet web, and tubular web.

Spiders possess one to four spinnerets in their abdomen, accompanied by seven silk glands, each making a strand for a unique purpose. The spider releases a liquid substance that seems to harden as it is pulled out of the spinneret. There is a strand for cocoons, encapsulation of prey, a walking thread so the spider is not trapped in his own web, and a sticky thread that captures prey.

Because of the superior engineering in material and structure, the spiders can capture several meals in the same web. The web maintains its strength even during strong winds. When pressure is exerted against a spiral or radial thread until it breaks, it affects that one strand only and does not weaken the rest of the web. The spider merely repairs it, and the whole web becomes stronger. Spider silk is very strong, with a tensile strength of five times that of steel. Its elasticity can stop an unwieldy bumblebee cruising at full speed. Researchers today attempt to duplicate the spiders’ steel strength fibers to make equally strong synthetic materials. The “spider technology” could be used in the military, first responder, athletic, in building materials, plastic replacement, and biomedical applications.

Spiders use spider silk for various purposes. Most use the silk to wrap their eggs. The strands can be used as a dragline. The spider attaches a thread to something that serves as an anchor. He won’t fall far if it falls and can climb back to his starting point. He can also use the silk for ballooning to disperse young spiders. Spiders can also use ballooning for transportation. The spider turns his abdomen upward and pulls out one or several strands. The air or electrostatic currents catch the thread and carry the spider. Sometimes, ballooning spiders have been sighted as high as two miles and thousands of miles over the ocean.

Do spiders have brains? Most certainly. Most spider brains are so tiny they could fit on the tip of a needle and are about the size of a poppy seed. But those brains are intelligent enough to enable the spider to build webs and to hunt, capture, and devour their prey.

Who gave the spider a brain? How does that spider know how to build a web, capture prey, and devour it? Do you suppose that God may have had something to do with it?

How did that web I saw get from the tree to the ground? Some scientists call it a “sky bridge.”  With the spinneret, the spider builds several strands long enough to reach the desired destination. He then lets them float in the wind. He completed his suspension bridge when he sensed that one of those strands had been caught or snagged on a branch or other object at the destination. From that one strand, he will reinforce it with different strands and build a web.

God created spiders, and He included them in the Creation story of Genesis 1: the “creeping thing;” and “everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind;” (Genesis 1:24,25)

The book of Proverbs tells us that spiders are very wise. “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: (Proverbs 30:24). Then after listing the ants, the conies, the locusts, and their wise attributes, there is this verse: “The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” (Proverbs 30:28). This little insect may not be wise according to some men, but it is smart enough to take lodging in an advantageous spot.

Just as God created the first man and woman as fully mature adults, He made the insects (spiders) mature and fully developed with no need for evolution.

“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10)

This Creator of all things loves you and gave His Son to pay for your sins so you could be saved and spend eternity in heaven with Him.   Do you know the Creator/Savior? “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created” (Colossians 1:14-16). Trust Jesus as your Savior today!