Black widows process their food outside of their bodies. After prey is caught in the web, it is injected with digestive enzymes. They consume the prey after it has softened and liquefied. Following feeding, the abdomen of the spider's body expands as its stomach fills.
Like most spiders, the black widow is capable of living for several months without food. Northern black widows today live about 31 miles further into Canada than they did in the s. Theresa Machemer is a freelance writer based in Washington DC. Her work has also appeared in National Geographic and SciShow. Website: tkmach. A black widow spider hangs from its web.
Antivenom exists for bite victims Antivenom to black widow bites has been available since the s. These vials were produced in the midth century. NMAH Roughly 2, people go to poison control centers with black widow bites each year to shorten the symptoms with the help of antivenom.
Not one, but many species exist This northern black widow spider was found in Beltsville, Maryland. The young spiders are cannibals A black widow spider oversees her bundle of eggs. When the spiderlings hatch, some will consume others. Donald W. Hall, University of Florida All of the spiders in the Latrodectus genus have a few things in common: curved feet covered in bristles, earning them the name comb-footed spiders, and messy, irregular nests of silk called tangle webs.
This spider's bite is much feared because its venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's. In humans, bites produce muscle aches, nausea, and a paralysis of the diaphragm that can make breathing difficult; however, contrary to popular belief, most people who are bitten suffer no serious damage—let alone death.
But bites can be fatal—usually to small children, the elderly, or the infirm. Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them.
The animals most at risk from the black widow's bite are insects—and male black widow spiders. Females sometimes kill and eat their counterparts after mating in a macabre behavior that gave the insect its name. Black widows are solitary year-round except during this violent mating ritual. These spiders spin large webs in which females suspend a cocoon with hundreds of eggs. Spiderlings disperse soon after they leave their eggs, but the web remains. Black widow spiders also use their webs to ensnare their prey, which consists of flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars.
Black widows are comb-footed spiders, which means they have bristles on their hind legs that they use to cover their prey with silk once it has been trapped. To feed, black widows puncture their insect prey with their fangs and administer digestive enzymes to the corpses. By using these enzymes, and their gnashing fangs, the spiders liquefy their prey's bodies and suck up the resulting fluid.
The spider then sucks up the resulting fluids. Considered the most venomous spider in the United States, the venom of a female black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of a rattlesnake. Fortunately, black widows only bite when disturbed, and contrary to popular belief, most victims do not sustain serious harm. Though rare, their bites can be fatal, with young children, the elderly and infirm at highest risk. If you suspect a black widow bite, get medical help as soon as possible.
Telltale signs of a black widow bite include:. Pain from a black widow spider bite will usually persist for the first hours, though symptoms may continue for several days. The spray not only works to kill spiders instantly, but it also provides residual control for weeks. So go to town and create a barrier around your house, reducing the likelihood of a dangerous and unwanted guest coming in.
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