Named for her gruesome mating ritual that sometimes contains eating her male counterpart after breeding, the black widow spider, from the genus, Latrodectus, spans wide areas of the globe to incorporate both, North and South America, Africa, Australia, Europe, elements of Asia and the Middle East. With a lifespan averaging one to a few years and a habitat preference for small, darkish places like corners in houses or sheds the place areas lay generally undisturbed, the black widow finds life with people a compatible existence. Ranging in dimension from one to two inches in length, and known for her signature shiny black exoskeleton embellished with shiny red markings that may resemble an hourglass or red dots configured on her back and underbelly, the black widow is considered perhaps the most fascinating arachnids within the world. Males are half the scale of their feminine counterparts and differ in their coloring of a lighter gray, streaked in black on the legs with an orange-patterned back. Though adept at biting when disturbed, the character of the black widow is mostly docile with regard to people and enormous animals. She feeds solely upon insects trapped inside her hardy net, injecting them with a venom-infused bite that breaks down the internal structures of her prey which she then sucks dry. Male black widows will seek out a female for mating purposes only. Though males don't indulge within the sometimes morbid behavior of devouring their mates after the ritual has completed, the females have been known to do this although it is considered as afrequent practice among all spiders however uncommon in actuality. After breeding, egg sacs can include anywhere between 700 and nine hundred young spiders with a gestation averaging around 20 days. Because of the sometimes cannibalistic nature of the species, few of the young spiders survive past leaving the egg sac with an average of only a dozen or so reaching maturity after three months. Preferring a solitary existence, mating and the next cannibalistic tendencies associated with both it and the consumption of the young amongst themselves, these are the only instances the species is thought to completely interact. Though highly poisonous to people, the spider bite of a black widow is rarely fatal with the very young and the very previous at larger risk. Nonetheless, the bite will produce symptoms resembling extreme muscle aches, weakness, nausea and medical assistance should be sought.
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The Black Widow Spider is on of the most feared spiders in all the world. But why? Maybe it's not such a demon spider after all.
If you are looking for information on black widows, one of North America's most poisonous spiders, check out Nick Molten's spider blog.
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