The Black Widow Spider

The black widow is a venomous spider with around six different species. It is classified as the genus latrodectus and belongs to the Theridiidae family. It gets its name "widow" because the female eats the male after mating. The female is black and shiny. Its body is about 12.5 mm long which is about the size of a paper clip. The male is smaller in size and has a yellowish tint. The male reaches only 4 mm in length. The adolescent black widow male is harmless and not venomous. The females are the ones with the red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomen. The southern black widow has the shiny black abdomen with the red hourglass. The northern black widow is somewhat different in that they have a row of red spots down the middle of the upper abdomen. Along with two crosswise bars on the under-surface. The markings of the northern black widow can also be white or yellow. The spider can be a dark brown or have red legs. Black widows are found all over the world, but they prefer warmer regions. They are nocturnal and become very active at night. They like to hide in the daytime in dark corners or crevices.

These spiders spin large webs. The silk of the web is stronger than any other spider. The black widow mates in the springtime. The females suspend a cocoon with hundreds of eggs. When the spider-lings hatch they scatter out and leave the eggs. The only thing that remains is the web. The black widow also uses its web to capture insects for food. They eat flies, grasshoppers, caterpillars, mosquitoes, and beetles. The black widow punctures its prey with their fangs. They fill their prey with digestive enzymes and use these enzymes to liquefy the insects corpse. They eat the fluids by sucking up the fluid with their fangs.

The bite of the black widow does not usually kill its victim. Although it is possible the victim may not feel the spiders bite and the ending result can be very painful. A person will become sick for several days after being bitten. The victim can suffer a lot of pain like muscle aches, nausea, and paralysis. Some of the other symptoms are abdominal pain, sweating, dry mouth, or swollen eyelids. The victim is usually given antivenin or calcium gluconate. The bite can be fatal in children or the elderly. The black widow is a non aggressive spider and will bite in self -defense. The average lifespan of a black widow can be one year to three years in the wild.