LIFE IN THE UNDERGROWTH - Part3: The Silk Spinners (2005)

As the title says, in this episode of the Life in the Undergrowth series, we are dealing exclusively with the invertebrates which produce silk.

If you are thinking that spiders are the only invertebrates which produce silk then you are wrong because there are a whole lot of other beings which produce silk, of course apart from silk worms.

Check this clip to see the amazing fungus gnats, from the Waitomo Caves of New Zealand, building beautiful chandeliers to trap prey. This is a truly truly beautiful clip.

The following is another beautiful video showing the care that a mother lacewing takes to protect her eggs. A really wonderful clip.

If you are new to the amazing world of spiders, then the following clip would leave you in awe. In the program, prior to the following clip, there is a brilliant slow motion footage of a spider weaving it's web but I thought this part will really show you the amazing talent that they possess.

Just imagine how it would be if they had a brain as big as ours.

Some of the other wonderful events in the program include i) footage of one of the ancient spiders called as a Trap door spider, ii) a small spider stealing the food of Nephila, one of the largest spiders. This part was really great, iii) a hyptiotes catching its prey, iv) gladiator spider using its web as a fisherman uses his net, v) the construction of 3 dimensional web by a redback spider and its working mechanism. This is another part which is hard to believe until you see. vi) hunting by a bolas spider which believe it or not uses a bola with its hand to capture prey, vii) a dangerous mating session where after the mating, the female kills and eats the male spider, etc,.

This final clip is for those who are afraid/hate spiders. Don't miss this.

The reason that I've got no snaps for this program is that seriously everything here is to be watched in the whole to capture the full effect. Pics will do a great disservice to this particular episode, which is one of the most thrilling science documentaries that I've watched in my life & believe me I've watched quite a few.

Infact the 3 videos that I've posted here comes in the first 20 minutes of the program. You could estimate what would be in the whole 60 minutes. So don't miss The Silk Spinners which I think is the best part of this series.

You can watch the best bits from Life In The Undergrowth as chosen by the TV production team here.

Also some snaps/clips from episode 1 Invasion of the Land.

Few snaps/clips from episode 2 Taking to the Air.
Some snaps/clips from episode 4 Intimate Relations.
Some snaps/clips from episode 5 Supersocities.