page_title: Silk
hierarchical_section_title: Silk
caption_attribution_description: English: Top to bottom Bombyx mori, Hyalophora cecropia, Antheraea pernyi, Samia cynthia Français&#160;: Bombyx du mûrier. Deutsch: Seidenspinner. Maulbeerspinner (Bombyx mori) nebst Raupe, Gespinst u. Eiern. Südamerikanischer Seidenspinner (Hyalophora cecropia) "South-American ~ ". Chinesischer Seidenspinner (Antheraea pernyi) "Chinese ~ ". Ailanthusspinner (Samia cynthia).
context_page_description: Silk is a natural fibre made by the silk worm cocoon. Silk fibres are very strong and are often used to make cloth. The Chinese invented silk in 3000 B.C. and traded it across the world through the Silk Road because it was very valuable and costly.
  The cloth from silk can be made into rugs, bedding, or can be used to write or paint on. In the past, silk was used to make parachutes. The practice of growing silkworms for silk production is called sericulture.
  Most spiders make a natural fibre of their own that is also called silk.
context_section_description: Silk is a natural fibre made by the silk worm cocoon. Silk fibres are very strong and are often used to make cloth. The Chinese invented silk in 3000 B.C. and traded it across the world through the Silk Road because it was very valuable and costly .
  The cloth from silk can be made into  rugs, bedding, or can be used to write or paint on. In the past, silk was used to make parachutes. The practice of growing silkworms for silk production is called sericulture.
  Most spiders make a natural fibre of their own that is also called silk.
caption: Four of the most important domesticated silk worms, together with their adult moth forms, Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (1885-1892)
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