Uphill Climb
Credit: Pérez-Miles/Journal of Experimental Biology

Fernando Pérez-Miles, of the University of the Republic in Uruguay, and his team tested out zebra tarantulas' superhero abilities on vertical glass slides. The team shook the slides to see if the hairy spiders would slip; they found when the silk-shooting spinnerets were sealed the spiders did slip but regained stability immediately, suggesting the foot silk is only used as a lifeline.