The female black widow spider has the most powerful bite relative to its size of any living creature. Fortunately for humans, the average black widow’s venom is less toxic than a rattlesnake’s, so bites are rarely fatal.
A Black Widow Bite
Black widows have a bite that’s 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake’s and packs enough venom to kill a human, but it’s very rarely lethal.
The black widow spider is named for the erroneous belief that the female eats the male after mating. The female will eat her mate occasionally, but only when she hasn’t eaten in a while. She usually just kills him with her powerful bite and leaves his carcass behind.
Male black widow spiders are half the size of females, but they do have one advantage: They can escape the female’s attack. With their smaller bodies, the males can scamper away from her grasp.
But for insects that get caught in the web, there is no mercy. The female black widow spider can give a poisonous bite that is 15 times more powerful than that of a rattlesnake.
The female spider injects venom into its prey to immobilize it. Then she bites it at the junction between body and head, breaking off the head capsule. She drinks the body juices, keeping what she needs and excreting the rest as a fluid that hardens into a sort of shell around her eggs as they develop. After 6 or 7 days, 300 to 400 spiderlings hatch from these eggs and climb onto their mother’s abdomen where they stay for another 2 weeks until they are ready to venture out on their own.
The female black widow is not only venomous, but also eats her mate after mating! The male spider will bring the female food to try and stay alive, but after their mating ritual, she still devours him. Love is a dangerous thing.
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Black Widow Spider Bite
The female black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) is the only spider in North America with a bite that can be dangerous to humans. The male is harmless. Most spiders are shy and will not bite unless provoked.
The female black widow spider has a shiny, round, black body with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen. The spiders red marking is found on the ventral side of the abdomen right behind its head. The male has yellowish markings on his back and no red coloring. The male spider has longer legs than the female. Black widows can range in size from 1/2 inch to 2 inches long, depending on age and species.
Black widow bites cause severe muscle pain, abdominal cramping and stiffness of muscles near the bite site. Severe cases may also experience nausea, vomiting, faintness, chest pain, sweating and tremors. Most people bitten by a black widow spider recover after treatment in a hospital emergency room. Black Widow Spider Bite Treatment
Most people who are bitten by a black widow do not need medical care because their symptoms are minor and go away within a few days. If you have severe symptoms or you think you might have been bitten by a black widow
Black widow spiders are known for their black bodies and red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens. The female is usually larger than the male.
Females can be up to two inches long, while males tend to grow between one-quarter and one-half of an inch long.
These spiders can bite humans, but they only do so if they feel threatened. Their venom is 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake’s and can cause abdominal cramping, tremors, sweating and nausea.
The black widow spider is not aggressive, but will bite in self-defense if necessary. The female can be distinguished from the male by the large red hourglass shaped marking on her underside.
The female bites usually result in serious injury to adult males, with minor effects on young and adult females (and no effect on juveniles).
Black widow spiders belong to the Theridiidae family; there are about 30 different species in the United States. The most infamous of these is the black widow spider, Latrodectus mactans, which has a black body with a red hourglass marking on its abdomen.
In the wild, black widow spiders are found throughout the world in temperate regions. They often hide in dark places such as hollow logs, rock crevices or underneath objects. Black widows also weave tangled webs that serve as a trap for their prey. These spiders are typically found near ground level, but they may also be found higher up (such as in trees).
Female black widow spiders are considered to be one of the most venomous spiders in North America. However, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Venomous Reptiles and Poisonous Plants Program, “the toxicity of their venom is reputed to be 15 times that of a rattlesnake … yet few human deaths have been reported.”
The black widow is a solitary spider. The female eats the male after mating and can live for up to three years. These spiders are found in almost every part of the world. They prefer dark places like woodpiles, under rocks, in animal burrows and in sheds, garages and basements.
This spider is shiny and black with a red, hourglass-shaped mark on its abdomen. If you see a spider that looks like this but has a white or yellow design instead of red, it’s not a black widow but instead the Western black widow’s close cousin, the Northern widow.
Northern widows are found mostly in Canada, Mexico and the United States; they’re not as dangerous as their Southern cousins. The Northerns have fangs that are so short they can’t bite humans through clothing. Southern widows are found mostly in the southern United States and South America; they’re more likely to bite people who get too close to their webs or egg sacs.