Mondo Knows Facts
A single silkworm cocoon yields up to 900 metres of silk thread
Domestic silkworms spin continuous protein threads to form cocoons.
The caterpillar of the domestic silk moth, Bombyx mori, secretes liquid protein from modified salivary glands that hardens upon contact with air. A single caterpillar spins a continuous silk filament between 300 and 900 metres long over three days to encase itself.
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Tags: silkworm, insects, silk
A single silkworm cocoon yields up to 900 metres of silk thread: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Domestic silkworms spin continuous protein threads to form cocoons. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a animals fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
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