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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re going to be talking about black widow spiders. If you want to learn more about other types of animals be sure to subscribe to the channel!

Black widows belong to the Latrodectus genus which is commonly referred to as the group of widow spiders. There are 31 species in this genus and all can be considered “black widows” though technically they are not all black in color. While the most iconic black widow comes in solid, shiny black with a bright red hourglass shape, they also appear with orange or yellow hourglasses, and some having more red or white spots or stripes. Other species even have a base color that’s closer to brown with these often being referred to as brown widow spiders. This is only in reference to females, however, as males will appear with more markings and different color variants and spiderlings appear nearly white or yellow until after a few moltings. Female black widow spiders are about 1.5 inches in length including their legs and males don’t even reach half that size.

Black widows get their name from the act of females consuming their mates after copulation though this has been widely debunked as an atypical behavior observed mostly in manufactured laboratory settings where males were unable to escape. However, when this does occur naturally, the male will provide a nourishing meal to the mama spider who will be laying egg sacs with hundreds of eggs inside so it’s a worthy sacrifice to the future generation - though I’m sure the male may not think so... The spiderlings hatch about a month later though few will make it to adulthood as they will cannibalise each other for food. It’s a spider eat spider world out there… Female black widows can live more than a year but males usually don’t live even half as long.

Black widows occur on every continent besides Antarctica (of course!). They have a stigma for being ferocious arachnids with a wish for human death, though this is somewhat overblown. While their venom is considered to be 15 times more potent than that of a rattlesnake, in reality their bites are rarely fatal to humans. The reason for this is that they inject far less venom with their bite when compared to a rattlesnake. Elderly, young, and the infirm are more susceptible to a black widow bite but for the most part these spiders will run before attacking. Still, their bite can cause pain and muscle spasms so it’s best to avoid them when possible. Oh, and just for clarification, only the female’s bite is dangerous. Males and spiderlings don’t pack the punch that female black widows do.

Typical black widow homes include the undersides of flat rocks, logs, hollows and that old sink in your grandparents garage you’re pretty sure has blood stains in it. They build exceptionally messy but incredibly strong webs that are often referred to as “cobwebs.” Here’s a fun fact, ‘cobwebs’ are really still spider webs as ‘cob’ is just another word for spider. Some cobwebs are just stray strands of spider silk that were never incorporated into a web and are usually more visible as the sticky spider silk has had time to collect dust and debris. But really even if you never saw a spider living in it, it was still probably made by a spider. A round of applause to our eight-legged buddies for managing to get those webs way up in the most difficult to reach places. I’m kidding - spiders are awesome and cobwebs just make the house feel more like Halloween.

Because black widow spider webs are so tough they have been seen consuming small snakes and lizards, though typically they stick to the insect fare upon which most spiders dine. On the flip-side, black widows are eaten by centipedes, scorpions and mud dauber wasps. Hey, this show is starting to come full circle! I’ve actually seen a black widow catch a snake before; it’s pretty impressive how strong something so small can truly be.

For more facts on black widows check out the links in the description. Have you ever had a close encounter with one of these tough ladies? Let us know in the comments! Thank you so much for watching and be sure to give a thumbs up for more Animal Fact Files.