How does each individual spider innately know what the architecture of their web should be without that knowledge being taught to them?

Question

Is that kind of information passed down genetically and if so, how does that work exactly? It seems easier to explain instinctive behaviors in other animals but weaving a perfectly geometric web seems so advanced it’s hard to fathom how that level of knowledge can simply be inherited genetically. Is there something science is missing?

In: 1829

Answer 1

It is important to note that, much like many other things in nature, a spiderweb is simply a fractal… a structure that seems intricate on the outside but in reality are the result of a series of simple, repeating units/actions conducted on a larger scale.