Black Widow Facts

  • Black widow spiders spin their webs in sheltered places, usually in rock crevices or dark corners. The threads are quite fine, but very strong. The web itself is closely woven and tangled-looking. The black widows wait for their prey at one side of the web. Whenever the web moves slightly, they rush out to attack. First the spiders bind their prey with silk so that it cannot move, and then inject it with venom to paralyze it. The prey is then ready to eat.
  • The bite of the female black widow spider is very painful. The poison works fast. Within minutes, the venom causes cramps in the victims muscles, and he or she finds it difficult to move. Breathing becomes difficult, and the victim develops a high fever and feels faint. Thirty minutes later, the victim is in great pain, but luckily the antitoxin works quickly to relieve the discomfort.
  • All spiders use poison to kill their prey, but only some spiders’ poison is dangerous to humans. The female black widow is one of the most poisonous spiders in the world. Her venom is said to be fifteen times more poisonous than that of a rattlesnake. The female black widow’s bite can kill a person if the victim does not get treatment. Today there is an antitoxin to cure victims.

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