Silkspinner

Silkspinner refers to a variety of organisms, most commonly insects, that produce silk. The most well-known silk producers are moths and their larvae, known as caterpillars. These caterpillars spin cocoons of silk to protect themselves during their pupal stage. The silk is secreted as a liquid from specialized glands and hardens upon contact with air. This silk is composed primarily of fibroin, a protein, and sericin, a gummy protein that holds the silk threads together.

Other insects that spin silk include spiders, although their silk is produced from spinnerets located at the rear of their abdomen, not from salivary glands like moth caterpillars. Spider silk is renowned for its incredible strength-to-weight ratio and elasticity. In the context of textiles, "silkspinner" most often refers to the silkworm, the larval stage of the domestic silk moth, Bombyx mori. This species has been domesticated for thousands of years for the production of silk fabric, making it a significant part of human history and industry. The process of obtaining silk from cocoons involves unwinding the threads, often through a process of boiling to remove the sericin, and then spinning these fine threads into yarn.