Tarantulas shoot silk from spigots in their feet like Spider-Man and are able to keep their balance and stick to whatever they are walking on. Scientist Claire Rind of the University of Newcastle examined tarantula feet under a powerful microscope and found silk-producing spigots mixed in with the tarantula’s regular hairs. She also saw silk coming out of the spigots. Rind studied three kinds of tarantulas: the Chilean rose, the Indian ornamental, and the Mexican flame-kneed tarantula.

If you could squirt sticky silk out of your feet, what would you climb?

Read more about silk-slinging tarantulas on National Geographic News.

Get the facts on tarantulas on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Claire Rind