LATRODECTUS SP BLACK WIDOW SPIDER There are around 30 species of black widow spider that live in many warm places around the world and they have a fearsome reputation Female black widows are some of the most venomous spiders in the world These spiders are especially common in North America and sometimes live close to towns and cities VITAL STATISTICS BODY LENGTH WEIGHT EATS LIFE SPAN HABITAT DISTRIBUTION up to 0 4 inch 10 mm about 0 03 oz 1 g insects other spiders females up to 3 years males up to 2 months woodlands urban areas 4 LYING IN WAIT The black widow spider lives alone and makes its web close to the ground or under ledges plants or rocks It often puts this tunnel like web in dark spaces and spends the daytime hiding inside lying in wait The spider’s prey crawls into the inviting dark hole and then the black widow strikes When it sees prey on its web the spider uses special bristles on its legs to cover its victim in sticky silk
DID YOU KNOW Female black widows are famous for eating male spiders after they have mated In reality this does not happen very often Male black widows are much smaller and often have markings on their backs SPIDER EGGS After mating a female spider lays up to 750 eggs in little bunches Each bunch is laid inside a paperlike egg sac and hung on the web to protect it from predators 5
DINNERTIME Once its prey is trapped in the web the black widow spider bites its victim and injects it with venom The spider then drags its dead victim into a safe part of the web to eat The black widow chews its prey and fills it with special juices from its fangs These juices called enzymes turn its prey’s body to mush which the spider then sucks up The black widow mainly eats insects and other bugs but will also sometimes eat small mice and lizards 6
DID YOU KNOW Many female black widow spiders have a shiny black body with a red marking shaped like an hourglass on their underside This bright marking warns predators that the spider is venomous DEADLY FEATURES The black widow spider has venom around 15 times more powerful than a rattlesnake Although a black widow bite is not normally fatal for humans it can kill many animals 7
