"A spider, a spider - little black legs, red boots, we fed you, we gave you water …". A children's song tells a funny story about a cute insect, but when you actually meet spiders, it is very far from tenderness. Especially when you see in front of you not just a spider, but a black widow.
Straw widow
This small female black spider has a disgusting reputation. Rumors about her are very diverse, one more terrible than the other. Here are the worst of them. Her bite is fatal and she eats her own husband for dinner.
In general, black widows (Latrodectus in Latin) are rich in their poisonous relatives. In Central Asia, Crimea and Southern Europe, the karakurt spider lives, the bites of which are just as dangerous. But the second step in the rating of "toxicity" belongs to this North American widow. Its venom is 15 times more concentrated than that of a rattlesnake, and is second only to the venom of Brazilian soldier spiders. Their homeland is considered to be North America with its hot climate, but today these insects have made their way even to Oceania and Australia.
The black widow can be easily recognized by the red triangular spots on the black abdomen. Sometimes the spots merge to form an hourglass shape. The length of its legs and glossy body is 12 mm each. The size of the males is almost half the size, apparently in order to minimize resistance.
Love until the grave
Here the rules are strict - no adultery! As soon as mating is over, or even during it, the female spider literally devours her faithful. There is an assumption that some males take their legs away from deadly love in time, but this is only a single exception to the terrible rule. Having frozen the worm, forgive her husband, the female spider weaves a cocoon, where she begins to lay eggs. She diligently hides it in a secluded spot under a snag, a large stone or in a small hole. The very same mom-to-be is nearby and ready to protect her clutch at any moment. So do not grab these whitish pellets from overclocking - you can get a lethal dose of poison.
Spider bites
According to scientists, the venom of the black widow has a neurotoxic effect and is stronger than the venom of a coral snake or cobra. The only thing that saves a bitten person from the painful death is that the amount of poison that gets into the blood is small. However, at the site of the bite, a rather severe pain immediately arises, which soon spreads to the whole body, accompanied by convulsions. It becomes difficult to breathe, the abdomen hardens and hardens, headache, fever and nausea appear. The attacks of pain alternate with intense sweating. This condition lasts three days, and complete recovery occurs in a week.
