Discover the amazing diversity of spider webs | Wild Hunters | National Geographic Wild UK

Some spiders provoke admiration for making much more sophisticated traps. Spider webs are as diverse in their design as they are effective. Each species has its own set of architectural blueprints. The silk that spiders use to make their webs is elastic, resilient, and can be replaced whenever required. The silk factory is in the spider's abdomen. The silk is a protein in liquid to wrap up and preserve the spider's prey. Often the well-earned meal is not eaten immediately. Spiders use their webs in very different ways. In the tropical jungles of the northeast coast, the gladiator spider prepares his secret weapon. Like other spiders, it has an inexhaustible source of silk that it can secrete from its abdomen. But this spider has a particular plan. The gladiator spider does not look for a place to install its trap among the foliage. Instead, this species prefers more active hunting. Once its small web is complete, the spider suspends it between its legs, then spreads it out and waits. Like ancient Roman gladiators who cast their nets in the amphitheater, the spider that shares their name captures its food in a similar way, and at astounding speed.