Sticky moments
Question: How do insects stick to walls and ceilings? How can a spider
scuttle across my ceiling without falling off?
Answer: The answer depends on the animal. Most small animals simply rely on
their claws and minute rough areas or cracks in the surfaces that they walk on.
Such creatures cannot walk up genuinely smooth and steep surfaces.
Some spiders can leave a sticky trail of silk wherever they go and use it
much like a climber’s rope, often with breathtaking sophistication. For example,
some kinds of jumping spiders can actually use their line to leap on flies…
