Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Silk tripwires around the burrow lid alert the spider to passing insects. The figure is taken from Natural History Museum, 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.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Trapdoor spiders ambush prey through silk-hinged burrows

Silk tripwires around the burrow lid alert the spider to passing insects.

Trapdoor spiders construct camouflaged silk-lined burrows sealed with hinged lids made of soil and moss. Radiant silk threads extend outward like tripwires, enabling the subterranean spider to sense prey footsteps and burst out in a fraction of a second.

Where this comes from

Natural History Museum

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Nature & Animals trivia Reaction Time Test

More facts like this

Humpback whales trap fish schools inside spiralling bubble netsWhales blow rings of air bubbles under water to corral schooling fish.Archerfish shoot down insects using precise water jetsAn archerfish squirts water from its mouth to knock prey into the water.The goliath birdeater is the largest spider by massIts legs span about 30 centimetres and it can weigh over 170 grams A single silkworm cocoon yields up to 900 metres of silk threadDomestic silkworms spin continuous protein threads to form cocoons.Praying mantises possess 3D vision unlike any other insectMantises evaluate prey distance using unique stereoscopic depth perception.Fleas launch into the air using elastic rubber padsCompressed resilin protein releases explosive energy to launch the flea.

Tags: spider, arachnids, hunting

Trapdoor spiders ambush prey through silk-hinged burrows: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Silk tripwires around the burrow lid alert the spider to passing insects. The figure is taken from Natural History Museum, 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.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.