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Science 14 January 1983:
Vol. 219. no. 4581, pp. 185 - 187
DOI: 10.1126/science.219.4581.185
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Articles

Spider Web Protection Through Visual Advertisement: Role of the Stabilimentum

THOMAS EISNER 1 and STEPHEN NOWICKI 1

1 Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Division of Biological Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

The conspicuous white silken adornments known as stabilimenta, which are commonly found in the orb webs of some spiders, appear to be protective devices that warn birds of the presence of webs in their flight path. Webs endowed with artificial equivalents of stabilimenta tended to survive intact the early morning period when birds are on the wing; unmarked webs showed a high incidence of destruction.

Submitted on July 12, 1982
Revised on September 14, 1982


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