While cobwebs and spider webs are both marvels of nature, they have distinct characteristics and purposes. So, the next time you spot a web, take a moment to appreciate its beauty and ponder its type.

Now their modern descendants, the cobweb spiders, dangle sticky threads below, wait until insects walk by and get snagged, and reel their unlucky victims in.

DNA information on cobwebs can provide important information for researchers in fields including conservation ecology and pest management.

While the term cobweb is commonly used to refer to any dusty, abandoned spiderweb, it is actually a specific web shape typically designed by spiders in the family Theridiidae.

When you're deep cleaning, you've probably mindlessly cleared away a cobweb in the corner of the ceiling. And understandably so - spider webs don't exactly add to your home's aesthetic. Your ...

Weaving a tangled web: How spiders engineer trapsThink that cobweb in the corner looks like a haphazard collection of silk threads? Take a closer look -- preferably with a scanning electron ...

The spider waits in the tunnel and captures insects that disturb the web. Cobweb spiders spin messy, sticky webs, often in dark corners or hidden spaces. Most of these spiders are harmless.

The most virtuosic example of spider architecture is the orb, built by the family Araneidae, whose species are common all over the world. Unlike cobweb spiders, which tend to construct their ...

Overlay the cobweb effect. A collection of spider webs isolated on a black background. Spider web elements as decoration to the design. Halloween Props© 0leJohny/Shutterstock.com ...