Abstract Dr. Craig S. Hieber Hieber, C.S. 1985.
Results indicate that the cocoon buffers changes in ambient temperature.
The mass of the eggs or spiderlings in the cocoon also contributes to thermal damping, and the combined effect of this mass and the cocoon provide a significant buffer against temperature fluctuations caused by short-term radiation loads. Control of absolute internal cocoon temperature is probably achieved through maternal positioning of the cocoon at the habitat or microhabitat level, and is probably most effective during the early part of the reproductive season when the ambient air temperature is high and insolation is most direct.