Black widow - external signs, lifestyle and how dangerous karakurt is for a person. Black widow spider. Black widow lifestyle and habitat Why black widow spider species

Class - arachnids

Detachment - Spiders

Family - Spiders

Genus - Latrodectus

Basic data:

DIMENSIONS

Length: the female is up to 25 mm, the male is much smaller.

Shape and color: the body color is silky black, the bright red pattern on the abdomen varies depending on the species.

I: has a nerve agent effect.

BREEDING

Mating period: warm time. After mating, the female lays fertilized eggs several times.

LIFE STYLE

Habits: black widows (see photo) - single spiders.

What does it eat: flies, moths, beetles, ants, other spiders.

Lifespan: in captivity for several years, in nature - usually 1 year.

RELATED SPECIES

There are many other spiders of the family of web spiders.

Karakurt spiders live in warm regions around the world. They are well known for their strong venom, which spiders use to kill prey and sometimes humans. The black widow is dangerous because it likes to settle near a person. The second name of spiders is karakurts, which means "black death" in Turkic languages.

BREEDING

The male black widow, before going in search of a partner, weaves a small web, rubs the end of the abdomen against it so that sperm drops appear on it. Then he sucks up the sperm with his sexual organ, the pedipalps, which look like small legs. After that, the male is already ready to meet his partner. He begins to shake the web as a sign that he is ready to perform a vital function. During intercourse, the male uses the pedipalps to carry sperm into the female's body. Sometimes only one mating occurs, however, the female may store the seed in her body and use it, for example, after a few months. After mating, the female weaves a silk cocoon into which she lays her eggs. After some time, small spiders hatch from the eggs, which are miniature copies of their parents and soon become independent.

WHAT DOES IT FEED

The black widow feeds on flies, moths, and other flying insects, as well as ants, beetles, and even other types of spiders. She makes a chaotic, three-dimensional web, very often with a short “cap” in which she hides herself, waiting for prey. The web of males is smaller than the web woven by the female. sticky fibers of the network, it sticks to them.The spider through the web feels even the slightest movement of the victim, who is fighting for his life, so he, without wasting a moment, runs out of the shelter and begins to wrap the prey with sticky threads.Then the spider injects poison into the body of the victim along with saliva containing digestive enzymes, and continues to wrap a web around the paralyzed insect.

Over the next few hours, saliva digests the victim's body, and the black widow sucks out its dissolved contents. The spider's muscular stomach acts like a pump. All that remains of the prey is an empty shell.

LIFESTYLE

Black widows (spiders of this genus are also called karakurts, which means "black death" in Turkic languages) live in many warm regions of the world. These spiders prefer the neighborhood of a person. Black widows love dark, sheltered places in basements or sheds. They can also be found in homes, for example, on the underside of a chair, where spiders sit immobile upside down.Black widows weave irregularly shaped webs under floorboards, in garbage heaps, and even across the toilet.They lead a solitary lifestyle.Black widows are active at night, so on people are attacked only if they are taken by surprise or frightened by something.

The venom that the black widow spider secretes contains neurotoxins that affect the nervous system and cause severe pain and convulsions that make it difficult for mammals to breathe. At the site of the bite of this spider, a small red spot is visible, which quickly disappears. Then a sharp pain spreads throughout the body. Mental excitement sets in. The poison of the black widow is very dangerous for humans, but the bite of this spider does not always lead to death.

BLACK WIDOW AND MAN

These spiders are shy, so they will try to avoid people rather than attack them. They keep to themselves.

The black widow spider has earned the reputation of a killer, but the number of people who have been killed by its poison is small. According to American statistics, out of 1,291 people bitten by a black widow over 217 years, only 55 died from 1726 to 1943. Probably, most of the victims are children or old people, in whom the effect of the poison could cause additional complications. The bite of karakurt causes symptoms similar to angina pectoris and tabes.

• The male black widow is much smaller than the female. It is not dangerous to humans because it produces only a small amount of poison. The claws on the male's chelicerae are too small to pierce human skin.
• Karakurts have been successfully bred at the London Zoo, where males have mated with females many times and have remained alive.
• There is an opinion that the black widow after mating necessarily eats the male, but this does not always happen. The appearance of such an assumption is due to the fact that after several matings the male is so weakened that he is often near death. At this time, he cannot escape from the female, and the female eats him.
• In Europe, there is a karakurt, called by the Italians mal-mignatta. The Italian name has been carried over into several other languages. The bite of a karakurt is not as dangerous and painful as the bites of tropical spider species, but the effects are felt for up to 3 weeks.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE BLACK WIDOW

Abdomen: silky black with a bright red pattern, often shaped like a clepsydra (water clock). The abdomen of males is narrower and has a finer pattern.

The size: female black widows are significantly larger than males.

Spider warts: organs on the underside of the abdomen that secrete silky fibers that serve to weave a net and cocoon, as well as to wrap prey.

WHERE Dwells

These spiders live everywhere in regions with a warm climate. People, by importing tropical fruits, unwittingly expand the habitat of some species.

PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION

Black widows are quite numerous; these spiders do not need protection. The exception is an endangered species that lives on the island of Madagascar.

Migration of poisonous Karakurt (Black Widow) to Russia. Video (00:04:44)

In recent years, the poisonous Central Asian spiders of Karakurt have increasingly begun to migrate to the southern and central strip of Russia: the Rostov region, Krasnodar Territory) and the Southern Urals (Orenburg region) and Ukraine (Kirovograd, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Luhansk, Kherson regions). They were also often seen in the suburbs! The reason can be both global warming and just hot dry summers and warm autumns. Global climate change leads to the fact that the border of the arid zone is steadily moving north. There is also devastation in the countryside when active agricultural work is not carried out. Abandoned fields and farms, where no one will disturb the karakurts, are a wonderful place where they breed and multiply. The bite of an adult female can be dangerous to humans and can kill a camel or horse, but the poison is safe for goats and sheep.
Karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) or steppe spider is a species of poisonous spiders from the genus of black widows. Distinguishing features are thirteen dots or spots on the upper side of the abdomen. It occurs in the desert and steppe zone (Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, the Mediterranean coast, Crimea, the Caucasus, as well as America, Australia).
Karakurt females start migrating in June-July in search of a suitable place for breeding. And it is at this time that most bites occur. After a human bite At the site of the bite, a small red spot is visible, which quickly disappears, but then the poison begins to act, and a sharp pain covers the bite site. Strong excitement begins, the victim experiences an inexplicable strong fear of death, spasms and suffocation, from which people with a weak heart most often die. After 10-15 minutes, terrible pains appear in the abdomen, lower back and chest, legs go numb. Headache, dizziness and vomiting are often observed. Characterized by blue face, bradycardia and arrhythmia of the pulse, the appearance of protein in the urine. Later, the patient becomes lethargic, but behaves restlessly, severe pain deprives him of sleep. After 3-5 days, the victim develops characteristic skin rashes and the condition improves. Recovery occurs in 2-3 weeks, but weakness usually remains for more than a month. If help is not provided in time, death may occur. So in the Kherson region over the past 25 years - 500 bitten. Of these, 10 people died.
After the mating season, the female karakurt kills and eats the male and starts building cocoons. And in September, an intensive death of karakurts sets in, by the end of October all adults die, only spiders in cocoons remain to winter.

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The most dangerous spider, karakurt, lives in our house

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Having visited many sites and forums, I found out that this is a pregnant female karakurt \

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To combat karakurt, arachnologists - spider experts - recommend treating the personal plot with chemicals. It is noteworthy that the black widow itself does not attack people. She can bite if, for example, she is stepped on. The poison of the karakurt spreads through the body instantly. If you do not go to the hospital in time, death occurs within two days. At the time of the bite, the victim does not feel pain, it occurs only after 10-15 minutes. There is a sharp pain in the lower back, abdomen, chest, breathing is disturbed, convulsions occur. With timely treatment, recovery occurs in 2-3 weeks. Karakurt is a rather large spider, reaching 2 centimeters in length. The spider is black with 13 red spots on its back. It is considered the most dangerous spider in Russia. Karakurts are spreading rapidly in dozens of regions of the country. The real invasion is now going through the Volgograd region. In Crimea, there are traditionally a lot of them. Cases of bites have been recorded in the Urals, in the Saratov, Orenburg and Novosibirsk regions. According to experts, with such dynamics, the Moscow region is next in line. The rapid advance of the karakurt deep into Russia is alarming, the scale of the danger is impressive: the “kiss” of a black widow is 15 times more poisonous than the bite of a rattlesnake. In several regions of Russia, almost 20 people suffered from poisonous spiders, six are in intensive care. A poisonous spider has been seen not only in the south of the country, but also in Novosibirsk and Moscow, where the karakurt (the official name of the insect) is driven by heat from its traditional habitats - the Central Asian steppes. By the way, they tried to settle in the Moscow region a couple of years ago. Fortunately, it hasn't come out yet.

Spider Karakurt black widow Black Widow spider. Video (00:14:08)

South Carolina Found some spider after poison was sprayed. They poisoned the spiders, then here's the find.

Black widow - Black Widow Spider (Animals Encyclopedia). Video (00:06:13)

When meeting with any spider, everyone has an instinct developed for thousands of years: a feeling of fear appears.

And not in vain, because meeting with him can have adverse consequences, especially if you come across a specimen that is almost at the top of the toxicity rating among all arachnids.
And his name is black widow.

Top 10 most poisonous spiders in the world. Video (00:04:00)

Rating The most deadly spiders in the world
The most venomous spider in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the Brazilian Wandering Spider. The spider got its name because it does not sit in one place and does not weave cobwebs, but actively moves in search of food. Another extremely dangerous spider is the Black Widow or, in our opinion, Karakurt, which can be found in the Caucasus and Crimea.
I present to your attention the rating of the 10 most poisonous and dangerous spiders on planet Earth
10. Yellow Sack Spider (Cheiracanthium Punctorium)
9. Fringed Ornamental Tarantula
8. Chinese Bird Spider
7. Mouse Spider
6. Brown and Chilean Recluse Spider
5 Redback Spider
4. Black Widow (Karakurt)
3 Sydney Funnel Spider
2. Six-eyed sand spider.
1. Brazilian wandering spider

View: Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus)

Family: Tenet spiders

Detachment: Spiders

Class: Arachnids

Type: Arthropod

Subtype: Cheliceric

The size: Approximately 38 mm long (feet 12 mm), 6.4 mm in diameter

The weight: 1 gram

Lifespan: 1 – 3 years

Habitat

This type of spider is distributed throughout the world. They live in regions with a temperate climate, incl. in the US, Southern Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and much of South America. Can be found in dark, dry hiding places, dimly lit areas such as sheds, garages, basements, closets, hollow tree stumps, rodent burrows, dense vineyard vegetation. They tend to take shelter in warm dwellings in winter. Although the black widow spider was not previously known in Russia, in recent years they have been found in the Southern Urals and in the Rostov region. Migration is explained by an increase in air temperature.

Description

The adult spider is painted black. On individuals, mainly red spots or a long red spot in the form of an hourglass are located. Immature females have red spots with a white outline on the abdomen.

The body length of the spider is about 12 mm, paws - 12 mm. Adult male black widows are half the size of females. Young spiders are painted white or yellowish-white and darken with each subsequent molt. Spiderlings hatch after 2-4 weeks and, like their mother, are cannibals. While in a cocoon, they eat each other for food. Therefore, only 1-10 spiders are chosen to be free.

An important characteristic of the black widow is its shaggy combed paws. A row of strong, curved bristles are located on the hind pair of legs and are used to draw webs over captured prey.

In the southern parts of Russia, as well as in some countries of Central Asia, in Ukraine, in the Mediterranean region and in the Balkans, there is another species from the genus of black widows - karakurt.

Development

The fertilized female lays her eggs in a cocoon of cobwebs, which she fastens near her trapping net. The cocoon itself is a grayish ball with a funnel-shaped exit. The clutch is under the constant control of the mother until spiders appear from the eggs.

Development in the egg takes 2 to 4 weeks. Young offspring, just released from the eggs, immediately enters the struggle for life. Stronger individuals eat the weak, so not everyone survives. As a result, only a small handful of young black widows, often up to 12 spiders, leave the cocoon.

Immediately after birth, the body of young individuals is painted white. And only after a few molts have they darkened enough and will look like adult spiders from the genus of black widows.

Eggs

A grayish silk ball of eggs with a funnel-shaped exit is attached to the web. Each female builds 5 to 15 of these balls, 12-15 mm in diameter, each containing 200 to 900 eggs. These clutches are fiercely guarded by the mother until spiders emerge from them.

Spiders (babies)

Young spiders leave the ball after 10-30 days. Only a handful of them will survive, as black widows are cannibals in the early stages of their lives. They consume other spiders from their brood for food. Elderly individuals die in summer or autumn after laying eggs. The new generation survives through the winter. Surviving spiderlings undergo molting. At first they are white, then orange, and only after a couple of months they resemble adult male black widows. Surviving individuals leave the network. It will take 2-3 months for them to mature, begin to weave their linens and get food.

Interesting! Although the life expectancy of black widow spiders is one year, some female specimens live up to three years. Males are usually only 1-2 months old. These spiders live longer in captivity.

reproduction

The male black widow, before going in search of a partner, weaves a small web, rubs the end of the abdomen against it so that sperm drops appear on it. Then he sucks up the sperm with his sexual organ, the pedipalps, which look like small legs. After that, the male is already ready to meet his partner. He begins to shake the web as a sign that he is ready to perform a vital function. During intercourse, the male uses the pedipalps to carry sperm into the female's body.

Sometimes only one mating occurs, however, the female may store the seed in her body and use it, for example, after a few months. After mating, the female weaves a silk cocoon into which she lays her eggs. After some time, small spiders hatch from the eggs, which are miniature copies of their parents and soon become independent.

Why does a female black widow spider eat a male?

Spider species female Latrodectus mactans(black widow) spends her whole life patching and completing the same web. It feeds, like other spiders, on insects caught in the net. Males, attracted by pheromones, with which the entire web of the female is saturated, find their chosen one and try to make sure that other spiders do not smell her scent. To do this, they begin to destroy everything built by the hard work of the spider: they bite the web, tangle it and cover it with their own thin threads that mask the smell of the female.

For all this, the male takes a lot of time and effort; he has no time to arrange his own networks. Therefore, he does not live long. Its main goal is to fertilize the female; when he succeeds, his resources, as a rule, are already running out. After mating (and even in the process), the male ends up in the jaws of the female; she digests it and thereby provides food for future offspring.

What does a spider eat?

The black widow feeds on flies, moths, and other flying insects, as well as ants, beetles, and even other types of spiders. She makes a chaotic, three-dimensional web, very often with a short “cap”, in which she hides herself, waiting for prey.

The web of males is smaller than the web woven by the female. While waiting for prey, the black widow touches the fibers with its limbs from time to time. When an insect, flying, catches on the sticky fibers of the net, it sticks to them. The spider, through the web, feels even the slightest movement of the victim, who is fighting for his life, so he, without losing a moment, runs out of the shelter and begins to wrap sticky threads around the prey. Then the spider injects poison into the body of the victim, along with saliva containing digestive enzymes, and continues to wrap its web around the paralyzed insect.

Over the next few hours, saliva digests the victim's body, and the black widow sucks out its dissolved contents. The spider's muscular stomach acts like a pump. All that remains of the prey is an empty shell.

Black widow bite

The black widow spider has earned the reputation of a killer, but the number of people who have been killed by its poison is small. According to American statistics, out of 1,291 people bitten by a black widow over 217 years, only 55 died between 1726 and 1943. Probably, most of the victims are children or old people, in whom the effect of poison could cause additional complications. The bite of karakurt causes symptoms similar to angina pectoris and tabes.

The neurotoxin found in black widow venom is 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom. Black widow bite it is accompanied by instant sharp pain at the site of the bite, and after some time (from 15 minutes to 1 hour), other symptoms begin to appear. First of all, these are severe pains in the abdominal region, due to which the bite of a black widow is often confused with an open ulcer, pancreatitis, or other diseases of the digestive tract. The difference is that pain does not increase with palpation. In addition to pains in the abdomen, pains and cramps in the limbs begin, the patient begins to thrash about the bed and scream, breathing gets confused, it becomes difficult. In addition, nausea, severe headaches, salivation, severe sweating, hyperreflexia, hypertension, paresthesia of the extremities, mild fever can be observed.

With timely medical care, after 2-3 hours the pain subsides, but does not go away completely, and within a few days they can resume with renewed vigor. Full recovery occurs only after a week. But bringing the patient to the hospital on time does not mean saving him; children or the elderly often die due to heart or respiratory failure during the manifestation of the main symptoms.

Peak aggressivenessblack widow spiderfalls from mid-April to October.

Adult male black widows are half the size of females and less dangerous, while young of this species are born white or yellowish, and darken more and more with each molt until they reach sexual maturity and become glossy black.

And remember, in order not to meet face to face with such an unpleasant "lady" as a black widow, you just need to follow some rules:

• if there is a possibility of meeting a spider or you are in its habitat, then you need to dress in such a way as not to leave a single open area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe body;
• in the case of outdoor recreation, make sure that the place of rest and overnight stay is not in the zone of various soil depressions, rodent burrows and cobwebs on plants;
• after walking in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe likely habitat of spiders, carefully check your clothes so as not to bring a poisonous guest into the house in the folds of fabric;
• if you meet a spider on your way, then in no case do not touch it and its cocoons.

Not many dare to keep such an exotic and dangerous animal in their home, but the popularity of poisonous spiders, including karakurts, as pets is steadily growing. What conditions are necessary for this arthropod?

Life cycle features

Depending on environmental conditions, the life span of a spider varies from 1 year to 3 years. Males live somewhat less than females. Karakurt live in complete solitude, the only exception is the mating season. In winter, spiders hibernate, and in late spring they begin to mate. During the life of karakurts change the skin from 7 to 9 times. After the last molt, the males mate, and even if the spider was lucky enough to survive, he soon dies of starvation anyway - after marriage, the male loses interest in food. Karakurts can reproduce extremely numerous offspring - at one time, a female spider can lay from 5 to 15 large cocoons with eggs, 100-900 pieces each. The size of cocoons can reach one and a half centimeters. Karakurt females are distinguished by their extremely careful and caring attitude towards offspring, they carefully guard cocoons with babies.

On average, it takes 20 days for the eggs to mature, after hatching, the spiderlings do not move for several more days - they are completely defenseless, they cannot weave a web, and therefore get food. A week after birth, the first molt occurs.

Soon, the spiderlings get out of the cocoons and begin an independent life. Under natural conditions, a very small percentage of spiders survive from masonry. At home, you can resort to "seating" the young in separate dwellings - in this case, it will be possible to save almost all the offspring. For transplantation, you can use small glass bottles, vials, small plastic containers.

The peak of the attack of karakurt falls on the middle of summer - just at this moment, young spiders ripen, moreover, warm weather at the height of the season contributes to the high activity of spiders.

What to feed karakurt?

The diet of karakurt is quite diverse: it can be flies and cockroaches, crickets, locusts, small beetles, goose, midges and mosquitoes, in general, karakurt is not averse to eating all small insects. Since the activity of the spider stops in winter and it hibernates, the arthropod does not need food, but at this time it needs to provide a slightly higher temperature of the terrarium. Under natural conditions, the spider receives food as follows: it is located on the edge of the web, holding a pair of paws on signal threads that go to the farthest ends of the net.

As soon as the victim falls into the trap, the spider receives a signal, gets close to the insect and envelops it with nets that instantly stick together to form a strong cocoon. The victim can no longer move in the cocoon. Then the karakurt makes a bite, the active substances of which turn the victim into a kind of liquid "broth". On average, eating an insect can take more than a day.

Important! From time to time, spiders refuse to eat, this can happen during the molting period. In this case, it is necessary to provide the pet with water. A small plastic container is perfect as a drinker.

It is interesting that karakurt is able to go without food for a very long time, in some cases they may not eat for 6-12 months. However, if you keep a spider in a home terrarium, there is no need to check how long the arthropod will last without food. You need to feed an adult 1 time in 7-10 days, young spiders need to be given food more often - 1 time in 3 days. If you feed young animals, give them slightly “pressed down”, not very active insects, as a young, immature spider may not be able to cope with it.

Terrarium Care

Perhaps spiders are the most undemanding pets to care for. To keep a karakurt, you need to equip it with a terrarium. For this, an ordinary aquarium is suitable, at the bottom of which you need to place sand or small pebbles, as well as leaves, stems, dry branches and moss. To maintain a warm temperature, you can heat the spider's home with a special lamp. Place a container of water in the corner. The terrarium does not require frequent cleaning - it is enough to change the sand once a year. This is best done in the spring, after the winter sleep of the arthropod. Also, be sure to take care of the cover on the terrarium, so that one day you will not find an escaped spider in the house. However, the lid must be with small holes so that air enters the terrarium.

• The male black widow is much smaller than the female. It is not dangerous to humans because it produces only a small amount of poison. The claws on the male's chelicerae are too small to pierce human skin.
• Karakurts have been successfully bred at the London Zoo, where males have mated with females many times and have remained alive.
• There is an opinion that the black widow after mating necessarily eats the male, but this does not always happen. The appearance of such an assumption is due to the fact that after several matings the male is so weakened that he is often near death. At this time, he cannot escape from the female, and the female eats him.
• In Europe, there is a karakurt, called by the Italians mal-mignatta. The Italian name has been carried over into several other languages. The bite of a karakurt is not as dangerous and painful as the bites of tropical spider species, but the effects are felt for up to 3 weeks.

Spider karakurt or black widow as in life it looks quite severe. And not in vain. Since the poison of this spider is 10 times more dangerous than the poison of a rattlesnake. The most unpleasant thing is that this spider previously lived only in America, later the black widow settled the territory of the southern Dnieper region, and since 2009, spiders have expanded their habitat, appearing in most cities in Ukraine and part of Russia. And this is not surprising, since the black widow spider moves with the wind. To do this, he weaves for himself the so-called poutine - a parachute.

Karakurt is quite easy to recognize, as it is the blackest spider in the world. He is "pot-bellied", moves very slowly and awkwardly. A characteristic feature of the female karakurt is the presence of red spots on the abdomen, the number of these spots in an adult is 13 pieces. The female karakurt has a round body resembling beans. The length of the female, taking into account the length of the legs, is 2-3 cm. The male black widow or karakurt is more mobile, but much smaller in size. Its body is only 4-7 mm and has an oval shape. Unlike the female, the male has red specks on the back.

Black widow spider photo, which is better to see at least once. Since the bite of a karakurt is very dangerous, it is almost impossible to detect it immediately, since before the "meal" the spider injects an anesthetic, anesthetizing the bite site. And after 15-17 minutes, a person can be completely paralyzed, so every bitten person needs emergency help.

It is reassuring that spiders do not prey on people, but bite them for self-defense, thereby showing a natural reflex. However, it is not always possible to notice their presence, spiders go out to search for food in the fields. Here, then they may come across people who accidentally disturbed them during the hunt. Karakurt feed mainly on beetles and locusts. Most often the female bites. Female karakurts weave their webs in dark places - abandoned houses, garages, boards laid in a crowd.

Interesting fact! Why do you think the karakurt was called the black widow? The thing is that for the fertilization of one female karakurt, from 12 to 17 males are needed. During the mating season, the males line up, each of them dances his mating dance and fertilizes the female, after which he tries to quickly escape, because after intercourse the female ruthlessly eats her partner. The lucky ones still manage to escape, but the last one is 100% eaten by the female. At one time, the female is able to fill from 2 to 5 cocoons, each of which contains about 500 eggs. To do this, she needs the strength and nutrients that are contained in the males of karakurt.

Black Widow! Spiders with this name are known to many for their deadly bites. But not every individual of the spider is dangerous to humans. The females of the black widow stand out for their aggressiveness. They are dangerous not only for humans, but primarily for males of this species. The size of females is several times larger than males, which are calmer and rarely attack people.

This spider species is native to North America. But the spiders took root on ships and thus ended up in Australia and Oceania, where they climatized and feel good.

The species of black widow spiders should not be confused with the genus of the same name. These are different ranks in the biological classification. This genus of spiders includes 31 species that live on all continents of the Earth. Not all representatives of this genus are dangerous to humans. In the south of Russia and Ukraine, a representative of the genus lives - the karakurt spider, whose bite is very poisonous and can cause death.

Distinctive features of the appearance of the black widow

The most aggressive is the female spider. A photo of a black widow spider will show the full beauty of the females. She is jet black with a sheen and a red infinity symbol on her belly at a young age. Adults are completely black. The body of the spider does not exceed 1 cm in diameter, while the total size of the female spider is about 6 cm. There are 4 thin tenacious legs on each side of the body.

Aggression in many cases is not justified, therefore, when meeting with her, it is better not to provoke her, otherwise the bite cannot be avoided. Black widows do not just attack, often they protect their offspring. When meeting with a spider, it is better to simply bypass it. In the event of a bite when poison enters the human body, the victim will need emergency medical care, without which a fatal outcome is not excluded.

Males, unlike females, are more calm and have not become famous for attacks on people. In size, they are several times smaller than females with a grayish-brown body color. On the back of males it has an ornament of horizontal and vertical white stripes.

Small spiders, just born, have a pale yellow or white color. Age-related changes in spiders are marked by a change in color according to gender.

Black Widow Danger

Black widow spider: close-up photo.

For children and the elderly, bites almost always lead to death, regardless of the specialized assistance provided. Not even every adult and healthy body can cope with the symptoms after a bite:

• cramps in the limbs;
• fever;
• sweating;
• headache;
• acute pain in the abdominal cavity, often resembling an exacerbation of pancreatitis and peptic ulcer disease;
• failure of breathing;
• arrhythmia leading to heart failure.

All these symptoms appear as the poison spreads throughout the body. Fatal poisoning lasts 15-60 minutes. ultimately leading to death.

The provision of medical care will not give a quick and complete recovery. First aid gives relief of symptoms for several hours with their resumption in full. The gradual introduction of vaccines and medications allows you to return to normal life in 1-1.5 weeks. Minor health problems observed before a spider bite can worsen and become chronic, and chronic diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems may also appear.

Photo of a black widow

Spider black widow with prey.

The black widow spider caught a small lizard.

The black widow spider caught a small snake.

Black widow spider: adult female.

Black widow spider: adult female with prey.

Black Widow Secrets

This type of spider got its name due to the cruel treatment of females with males. They simply eat them after mating, and only a few males manage to avoid the fate of becoming dinner. Females spend most of their time sitting on the web with the growing offspring and waiting for easy prey or a male, although they apparently do not distinguish prey from males of their own species well. So, the females of the black widow are waiting on their web, while the males are moving in search of a lover for mating.

The approach of the male to the web with the female occurs with extreme caution. Primary sniffing the edge of the web and observing the behavior of the hostess of the "lace" makes it clear whether she is ready for mating or not. Readiness to accept a male for mating is marked by the creation by the female of certain vibrations distributed throughout the web.

But the name itself comes from the behavior of a hungry female, which can sharply attack a partner, followed by eating it, without even waiting for mating. Such actions are also observed after fertilization, which caused hunger in the female. We can say that the color of the black widow emphasizes the main role of females.

Having eaten, the female begins to weave a cocoon in which she lays her eggs. She hides this cocoon in the shade, for example, under a stone or under a snag, or in a hole. The female is very aggressive in protecting her offspring and many bites are due to humans approaching the cocoon.

Spider black widow with cocoons and cubs.

Spiderlings from eggs usually appear after three weeks. But their mother does not feed them. They eat each other. Thus, only the strongest and most cruel children are selected from the cocoon. In one clutch of such thugs, no more than 12 pieces survive.

With age, the poisonousness of the black widow increases.

They pose a great danger to humans. But these predators are huge and will not go unnoticed. You should know that creatures that are difficult to notice can pose a much greater danger, because they do not exceed a five-ruble coin in size. One of these is the spider karakurt. In this article you will find a description and photo of the karakurt spider, as well as learn a lot of new and interesting things about this spider from the genus of black widows.

Karakurt looks like a medium-sized spider. Females of karakurt significantly exceed males in size. The female karakurt grows to a size of 2 cm, while the male karakurt has a size of only 0.7 cm.

Karakurt looks quite unusual. The karakurt spider has a black body, and on its abdomen it has red or orange spots of various shapes. Both male and female karakurt have this coloration. Sometimes there may be a white stroke around the spots. Often, when reaching maturity, the karakurt spider can become completely black without spots.

Where does karakurt live?

Karakurt lives in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, in Iran and Afghanistan, along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, in North Africa, in southern Europe and Ukraine. In Russia, karakurt lives in the southern regions. The karakurt spider is especially common in the Astrakhan region, the Krasnodar Territory and the Crimea.

In especially hot periods, this spider can migrate to the northern regions, but in such regions the karakurt lives only until the onset of winter. The most favorable living conditions for karakurt are those areas where there are hot summers and warm autumns. Karakurt lives in desert and steppe zones, on wastelands, salt marshes, slopes of ravines and abandoned buildings.

Karakurt bite

The poison of the karakurt is quite strong, so the bite of the karakurt can be fatal. Fortunately, the karakurt only attacks if disturbed. The poison of karakurt affects both animals and humans. The bite of a karakurt is imperceptible at once and manifests itself within 10-15 minutes. During this time, the poison of karakurt is already spreading throughout the body and the first signs of toxic poisoning begin to appear. Symptoms of a karakurt bite begin with a burning pain that spreads throughout the body. Typically, patients complain of severe pain in the chest, abdomen and lower back.

Also, a karakurt bite has the following symptoms: increased heart rate, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, headache, trembling, vomiting, sweating, spasms in the bronchi and urinary retention. In the later stages of poisoning, a person begins to darken consciousness and delirium. Fatal cases have been recorded in humans and farm animals bitten by a karakurt.

Experts say that people with strong immunity will more easily endure the bite of a karakurt than those weakened by diseases or allergies. It should be remembered that the highest concentration of poison in black widows occurs during the mating season and after laying eggs; in other seasons, bites are less terrible. Males, in principle, do not pose a danger, since they do not have poison and, due to their small size, cannot bite through the skin.

To neutralize the action of the poison of karakurt, anti-karakurt serum is used. Novocaine, calcium chloride and magnesium hydrosulfate are also administered intravenously, which give positive results. If it is impossible to get medical help, you should burn the bite of a karakurt with a burning match. But this must be done no later than 5 minutes after the bite. You can also cauterize the bite site with a hot metal object. Since the spider bites through the skin to a depth of only 0.5 mm, the poison that has not had time to be absorbed is destroyed by heating. But even after cauterization, you need to seek medical help.

Livestock suffer from karakurt bites, especially camels and horses. These animals often die from the poison of the karakurt. Once every 10 years, mass reproduction of the karakurt spider occurs, during these years animal husbandry suffers great losses. Now karakurt is destroyed with the help of insecticides, which are sprayed on the soil. Of course, the poison of the karakurt is not aimed at harming a person or livestock, but serves the spider only to get food. Karakurt eats various beetles, flies, locusts, cicadas and grasshoppers.

The karakurt spider is called the black widow, as the female karakurt kills her husband after mating. But the black widow of the karakurt will not survive the eaten husband much, because with the onset of cold weather, the female dies.

Karakurts become capable of breeding at the beginning of summer and begin migration in search of partners. With the onset of heat (July-August), females and males of karakurt arrange temporary networks for mating. After that, the female karakurt is looking for a secluded place to equip the lair, where she can place cocoons with eggs.

Such a place often becomes various depressions in the soil, abandoned rodent burrows, as well as drainage of ventilation systems. At the entrance to the lair, she stretches a chaotically intertwined web. The female karakurt hangs 2-4 cocoons in the den, where they survive the winter.

In April, karakurt cubs will leave their cocoons. With the onset of summer, mature karakurt cubs will go in search of partners. Despite the fact that the karakurt spider is very prolific and has a very strong poison, it still has enemies in nature. The enemies of the karakurt spider are hedgehogs, wasps and riders. Also often comes the destruction of the laying of karakurt eggs by herds of sheep and pigs, which simply trample them.

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