Hierarchy classification:

1. top of the aat hierarchies
2. Materials Facet
3. Materials (hierarchy name)
4. materials (substances)
5. [materials by origin]
6. biological material
7. animal material
8. fibroinous material

Additional parents:

1. top of the aat hierarchies
2. Materials Facet
3. Materials
4. materials
5. materials by origin
6. biological material
7. animal material
8. animal material by form or function
9. animal material by excretions, secretions, and fluids
10. silk

Anotations

Scope note:

Protein substance spun by spiders as thin, uniform filaments to make webs, other structures, conveyance, or to capture prey. A strand of spider silk is about 25 micrometers (0.00001 inches) in diameter. It is strong and dimensionally stable. Hummingbirds and other animals use spider silk for nest-building. Spider silk is currently used for crosshairs in optical instruments. Attempts have been made to produce fabric from spider silk, but it took an enormous number of spider webs and work to produce a fabric that was so sheer that it was of little use.