The National Geographic says that the most venomous spider in North America is the black widow spider. They are highly poisonous, and their venom is told to be 15 times more potent than rattlesnakes.
Bite
The female black widow spider bites are considered to be a threat to humans especially the very young and very old and sick. She typically only bites when disturbed. It feels like a pinprick and the pain starts within minutes and spreads quickly to other body parts. The pain usually lasts for eight to 12 hours.
The symptoms of a black widow spider bite are nausea, profuse sweating, severe pain in the back and abdomen, hypertension, muscle aches and diaphragm paralysis which causes breathing difficulty. These symptoms can continue for several days. There is a black widow antivenom to minimize pain and damage.
Appearance
These spiders are arachnids that are known for the females’ unique appearance and their tendency to eat their mates. The male and female black widows look different. The females are the most distinctive. They have shiny black bodies, and on the underside of their abdomen, they have a red hourglass-shaped marking. This marking can also be orange-yellow.
Female black widows are about 1.5 inches long in size and males are about half the size. Males are lighter in color, with red or pink spots on their backs.
Habitat
Black widows are found in the United States, southern Europe and Asia, Australia, Africa, and much of South America. They exist in the South and West in the United States. They hang out in dark, dry shelters such as “basements, garages, barns, outdoor toilets, hollow stumps, rodent holes, trash, brush, and dense vegetation.
Diet
Other arachnids and insects are the standard diet for the black widow spider. Specifically, they eat grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, flies, and mosquitoes.
Species
A black widow has a comb foot which is a distinguishing feature. They belong to the Theridiidae family which is commonly referred to as comb-footed spiders. The comb foot is described to have a series of stiff short hairs on the last segment of their fourth pair of legs which resemble the teeth of a comb. The comb foot is used to drape the silk over their prey when the black widow spider is wrapping the victim to eat it eventually.
Mating
Black widow spiders are primarily solitary. In late spring they mate with the male black widow spiders. The female spiders can live up to three years, and the males only live for one or two months.
The female produces between 200 and 900 eggs which hatch after about 30 days. Only a few survive to adulthood because the baby spiders are cannibalistic.
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