Spotted black widow spider. Spider black widow: photo. Buffet for a spider: what does an arthropod eat

Life is a long and complicated thing and anything can happen in it. Many women among those who sent their husbands to war remain widows, but no less of those who have lost a loved one due to an accident, suicide, alcohol abuse, etc. Well, if it all ended there, and the second marriage turned out to be long and happy, but what if the husbands die one after another. What is the reason? Black widow, according to many, is to blame.

Who is a black widow woman?

Those who ask who a black widow is should be answered that those who have buried more than two husbands are called that. The term itself comes from the name incredibly poisonous spider- spider karakurt, whose poison is 15 times stronger than poison rattlesnake. The females of these insects are extremely insidious and cruel - they eat the males immediately after fertilization. It is believed that widow women, like spiders, are themselves to blame for the death of their husbands, because they have a strong destructive energy and often do not even suspect it.

Black Widow - Legend

No one will say who was the first black widow, but one of the most famous and well-known include the Baroness and socialite Shternval Avrora Karlovna. Asking the question, the black widow - who is it, it is worth answering that this woman was one of the first St. Petersburg beauties. She met in Pushkin, Vyazemsky and Turgenev, but her personal life did not work out. Having buried two suitors and two husbands, she loses even only son and daughter-in-law, devoting her life social activities and charity.

The psychology of a black widow

The fate of a black widow woman is unenviable. They are shunned by men, and women themselves are afraid to arrange their personal lives after several tragedies. There are several versions of the appearance of such notoriety and such evil fate. Here they are:

1. A heavy curse on a woman. Not all of those who want to know what a black widow means will believe it, but some parapsychologists and esotericists believe that such women really fell under a strong magical influence or were cursed by someone at a moment of strong emotional shock.
2. Karmic widowhood. It is not uncommon for a girl who has a strong emotional bond with her mother to take over her fate. She can choose as her husband a man bearing the name of the deceased father and bury him at the same age as her mother. If she gives birth to a child of the same sex, then there is a great risk that he will remain living under the same roof with his mother and grandmother, without starting a family or tragically losing a loved one.
3. Passive victim. The status of "black widow" can be obtained by a woman who has chosen a male vampire as her husband. Having mocked her all his life and died untimely, he transfers all his negativity to her and even from the other world continues to pump energy, not allowing other representatives of the stronger sex to her.
4. Vampirism. Such women, wittingly or unwittingly, are looking for those who could become an energy donor for them. They bring men to physical and psycho-emotional exhaustion, and after the death of one they go in search of the next.

Why is a black widow dangerous?

It is clear why a woman is called a black widow, because she brings with her, if not death, then troubles, severe illnesses and sorrows. Not every man will decide to marry such a person, knowing that she has already buried several husbands. Who knows, maybe she poisoned them or hastened their death in some other way? For this reason, in ancient times, in many countries, women who lost their husbands were put to death or forced to commit suicide. Much less frequently, widows were ordered to marry in-laws of their husbands.

Signs of a black widow

It is clear that there is no stigma and mark on such a woman, but those who are interested in how to identify a black widow can say with all responsibility that such women never end up in admirers and suitors. Often they are good-looking, affable, open and friendly. Men are drawn to them like a magnet, because they find understanding and love there. It often even happens that men who are poor and uninteresting to other girls, after meeting a black widow, "rise", begin to earn good money, become more, but their terrible end is predetermined.

Black widow woman - what to do?

The concept of a black widow - creepy by definition, can become the fate of any woman, because it is not known what the distant ancestors sinned in and whose clouded mind caused damage or a curse. Even if the bearer of this definition herself does not believe in everything supernatural and explains everything from the point of view of science, you will inevitably think about karma and fate when beloved men die one after another for unknown reasons. In this case, a woman has only two ways - to turn to a psychic who knows and knows how to remove such curses, or to go to church and ask God for help.

How to become a black widow?

Those wondering who is considered a black widow received an answer to it and concluded that the fate of such women is unenviable. Nobody wants to become a black widow, but a lot in such a situation depends on the woman herself. Even if she does not believe in God, she can live according to the laws of justice, act according to her conscience, strive to bring goodness and joy to people. If, do not allow even the thought of the worst, then the chances are high that everything will change, because thoughts are material.

black widow movie

The most famous black widow who has nothing to do with the heroine of this article is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. A film about a black widow and a character who bore this nickname - Natasha Romanova was released in 1964. Then the well-known Iron Man, The Avengers, etc. were filmed. The theme itself bringer of death women rose in many pictures of both modern cinema and the film industry of past years:

1. "Black Widow" - a female killer, filmed by Armand Mastroianni and released on screens in 2008. The main character is charming and successful, she has a loved one - a millionaire, but not everything is so simple in the fate of this woman.
2. Black Widow directed by Alejandro Lozano. At the beginning of the film, the main character appears naive and gullible, but after the rape, she is driven only by a thirst for revenge on hated men.
3. Black Widow directed by Bob Rafelson. The main character of the film marries rich men and after a while becomes the owner of their entire fortune. An ominous trend draws the attention of a member of the Serious Crime Unit.

The black widow spider is a very unusual and in some way is a collective term, since about 30 varieties of arthropods are hidden under it. These creatures gained fame because some representatives of this genus are distinguished by the ability to secrete an extremely toxic poison that can cause severe intoxication in humans and even cause death. Wherever this jointed animal lives, people are well aware of the degree of its danger.

Black widow - a very unusual spider

Representatives of this order are found almost everywhere where climatic conditions pretty soft. They are widely distributed in the countries of East and South Asia, America, North Africa. Some of them are found in Australia and Oceania. AT northern regions only a few species can live that are not as dangerous as their heat-loving counterparts.

The spider seems rather nondescript, so often a person, due to his own negligence, becomes his victim. Adults reach 2 cm in length. The female black widow is larger than any of her partners. Despite the increased toxicity, these creatures are characterized by an unremarkable appearance. locals in many regions with tropical climate they know what this black spider looks like, sometimes living near a person’s dwelling, but even this does not always save them from a chance meeting.

The chitinous cover on the tarsi and cephalothorax is lacquered in black. Some varieties do not have additional decorations. Most poisonous representative this kind has characteristic mark on the abdomen in the form of an hourglass. The speck has a reddish tint. The rich red color of this element is very eye-catching and helps many predators to determine the degree of danger of the spider.

In some varieties, the spot has a pink tint. Steotoda, called the false black widow, is no less dangerous to humans. In spite of resemblance creatures, the spot on the abdomen of this spider has a white or orange tint.

Spiders of this species have from 6 to 8 eyes, but they see very poorly and basically get all necessary information, evaluating the vibration that comes from various living objects.

A real black widow has short legs that resemble a comb. On the hind limbs of these creatures are curved bristles. Such a structure of the paws is necessary for a spider to throw a trapping net when attacking prey.

In addition, black widows weave extremely untidy horizontal chaotic webs. It allows the spider to feel the slightest movement of the victim that has fallen into it. The females of this species are larger and more venomous than the males.

An adult healthy person can quite successfully survive the attack of this spider. At the site of the bite, extensive tissue death can occur due to their soaking with toxins.

The characteristic common manifestations of a black widow lesion include:

• mild erythema;
• muscle spasms;
• severe pain in the bite area and in the abdomen;
• salivation;
• increased sweating;
• hypertension;
• anxiety;
• headache;
• tachycardia;
• parasthesia;
• vomit;
• urinary incontinence;
• dyspnea.

Some victims of this spider develop kidney failure. Since black widow venom is neurotoxic, a person can be left with serious injury. nervous system, which is not capable of affecting his mental state in the most favorable way.

For children and the elderly, the attack of these creatures often has fatal consequences. Only the timely introduction of an antidote can reduce the destructive effect of spider venom on the body.

Only females of this species are distinguished by increased aggressiveness. The male tends to flee if attacked and is therefore considered less dangerous to humans.

Gallery: black widow spider (25 photos)

Spider black widow (video)

Black widow lifestyle

In choosing a home, these creatures are extremely whimsical. They often settle in the grass in the open steppe space, and in addition, in ditches, ravines, cracks in the ground and hollows of trees, minks of rodents. Under certain circumstances, these arthropods can live in people's homes. These spiders got their name due to the fact that often after mating, the female spider attacks the partner, which ends tragically for him. However, this does not happen in all cases.

Strong males who have mated for the first time in their lives are quite capable of running away from their partner in the future. However, several sexual acts deplete their reserves, so, already near death, they often become victims.

Despite the fact that all black widows, regardless of gender, are immune to poison, weakened males do often become a nutritious snack for their partners. After mating, the female starts producing offspring. Like other types of spiders, she weaves a cocoon into which she carefully wraps her young.

The exit of spiders from the nest usually occurs after 8 days. However, they need to make many molts to become sexually mature individuals. Life cycle spiders living in the northern hemisphere, longer.

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Dwelling on the lands of the former Soviet Union karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) and tropical black widow (Latrodectus mactans) belong to different types one spider genus - the Black Widow. Perhaps that is why the generic name stuck firmly to much less ferocious domestic individuals.

Geography of Black Widows

Representatives of the genus have a bad reputation for being the most poisonous arachnids. The statement is true for arthropods inhabiting the islands of Oceania, Australia and North America. The natives would rather step on a rattlesnake than a black widow with her powerful poison (exceeding the snake by 15 times).

Karakurt live in the steppes and deserts of Afghanistan, North Africa, Iran and southern Europe, including certain regions of the Mediterranean.

Local black widows are well known to residents of neighboring countries:

• Central Asia.
• Kazakhstan.
• Southern regions of Ukraine.
• Caucasus.

Karakurts reached the south of the Urals, biting people in areas bordering Kazakhstan: in Orsk (Orenburg region), Kurtamysh (Kurgan region).

These spiders are dispersed throughout the Southern Federal District, including the Crimea, Astrakhan, Volgograd and Rostov region, Krasnodar region.

Arthropods were seen in the Moscow region, Saratov and Novosibirsk regions, as well as in the Altai Territory.

Appearance and reproduction

The male is two or even three times smaller than his female. Some female specimens grow up to 20 mm, while male specimens barely reach 7 mm. It is not surprising that the female, after a successful sexual intercourse, devours the male without regret, like waste material.

The general color of the rounded body (including 4 pairs of tentacles) is black, with a characteristic sheen. Often, on a black background, red spots of various configurations are observed, bordered by narrow white stripes.

A person with poor eyesight can easily confuse a spider with its paws tucked in with a blackcurrant berry.

Karakurts reach sexual maturity in June, starting to look for secluded places to weave temporary nets intended for mating.

After intercourse, the females again go in search, but now - a protected shelter for offspring. Spider eggs will have to survive the winter in cocoons hung (2-4 pieces each) in the nest. Young spiders will appear in April to fly away on the web into adulthood.

Habitats of karakurt

The spider equips housing among stones, dry branches, in the upper layer of soil, often in other people's minks, tightening the entrance with trapping nets of randomly interwoven threads.

He likes to settle on untouched lands, including virgin areas, slopes of ravines, wastelands, banks of ditches. Haymaking, plowing of the steppes and cattle grazing sharply reduce the number of karakurt.

Adult spiders also die from insecticides that pollinate farmland. True, chemical reagents do not act on cocoons: they can only be burned by fire.

With the onset of autumn, black widows who prefer night image life, move closer to the heat - in basements, sheds, cellars, outdoor toilets, houses and apartments.

In pursuit of comfort, the spider climbs into shoes, linen, bedding, kitchen utensils. And this is a direct threat to human life.

Spider activity

Its peak is recorded from July to September. During the migration of females (June/July), the number of people and animals affected by their "kisses" increases dramatically.

Outbreaks of mass reproduction of karakurt are recorded once every 25 or once every 10 years, while the main danger is fraught with adult females.

Our karakurt, of course, cannot be compared with a real black widow in terms of the strength of the poison, but its bites sometimes end in deaths.

So, in October 1997, 87 residents of the Kherson region were bitten by karakurts: all of them were treated in a hospital, but one could not be saved.

Then zoologists suggested that the mass attack was provoked by downpours that drove the spiders out of their shelters.

Along the way, it turned out that post-war years Karakurt felt like the master of the Don steppes and disappeared for a long time due to their active development.

The revival of the black widow population began with the collapse of the USSR: they breed intensively in abandoned fields and farms.

Second favorable factor - world change climate in which the arid zone moves northward. This plays into the hands of spiders that avoid heavy rainfall that is fatal to their burrows.

Extraction of karakurt

It becomes both insects and small rodents, the living space of which the killer occupies without remorse.

The spider paralyzes the victim, allowing the poison, which acts as a digestive secret, to spread through its tissues. After the insect becomes soft enough, the black widow will stick its proboscis into it and begin to suck out the contents.

During the meal, the spider can be distracted by other activities, move away from the “table” and return again, turn the victim over, sucking it from different sides.

A hole covered in cobwebs signals danger. The spider will not attack without a reason, which can be any careless intrusion into its private space.

Action of the poison

A barely noticeable red dot from a bite will start a chain reaction throughout the body: after a quarter of an hour, burning pain will cover the entire body (especially in the area chest, abdomen and lower back).

Typical symptoms will appear:

• tachycardia and shortness of breath;
• redness or pallor of the face;
• dizziness and tremor;
• headache, vomiting and sweating;
• heaviness in the chest or epigastric region;
• bronchospasm and priapism;
• inhibition of defecation and urination.

Later, intoxication turns into a depressed state, clouding of consciousness and delirium.

Antidote

by the most effective drug was considered to be anti-karakurt serum produced by the Tashkent Bacteriological Institute.

Good results were obtained with the introduction (intravenous) of calcium chloride, novocaine and magnesium hydrosulfate.

If the bitten person is away from the first-aid post, it is recommended to burn the affected area with a lit match head within the first two minutes. It is believed that the poison that did not have time to penetrate deeply is destroyed by exposure to high temperature.

Spider karakurt especially dangerous for small children. If help is late, the child cannot be saved.

Animals die from close “contacts” with a black widow, among which camels and horses are considered the most vulnerable.

Breeding karakurt

Only very self-confident and fearless people can keep these arthropods at home. If you are able to tell the difference between a male and a female, form a spider alliance to observe the breeding.

Yes, and do not forget to protect the male: the spider will regularly encroach on his life.

For an artificial lair you will need:

• terrarium or aquarium;
• sand mixed with gravel;
• moss, twigs and dry leaves.

You will have to catch flies and cockroaches in order to throw them immobilized into the web to your pets. In winter, spiders do not need to be fed - they sleep, but they need to be slightly warmed (with an electric lamp or warm air).

In the spring, the terrarium will require cleaning. Send the karakurts to the jar and get rid of the garbage in their nest.

Spider black widow as a business

On the Internet there are rumors about low-cost and fabulous profitable business- breeding karakurt to obtain poison.

Those who wish are explained “on the fingers” what milking of poisonous arthropods looks like, assuring that this is a simple and safe process that can be mastered on your own.

In fact, specially trained people are engaged in obtaining poison, in industrial conditions and on expensive equipment.

To do this, they buy a special gas (to put the karakurts to sleep) and an “operating table” installation with electrodes necessary to supply a discharge to the chelicerae so that the poison leaves.

The most expensive part of the scheme(several tens of thousands of dollars) - a unit for drying poison, which should turn into crystals.

500 karakurts from one milking give 1 g of dry toxin, which costs up to 1200 euros on the black market.

Undoubtedly, a profitable business, but it is not for self-taught, loners and amateurs.

No, the black widow is not a woman dressed in dark, mourning clothes. The black widow spider is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, numbering 30 species in its genus, devouring a partner after mating, and whose venom can kill a person or a large animal.

What does danger look like?

These spiders were able to earn such a bad reputation not only because they are extremely poisonous. Small size (an adult grows only 2 centimeters in length), a soft black color, a not very noticeable network of cobwebs is an ideal disguise. Long, paddle-like or comb-like legs, with powerful bristles on the hind pairs of legs, the legs and cephalothorax are shiny, smooth, one might say "varnished" appearance. Some individuals are completely black, someone has multi-colored spots, the black widow itself has a red spot on its back, which is somewhat reminiscent of hourglass. Females are more poisonous than males. Males are generally less dangerous and active, with the exception of mating season when they begin to roam anywhere and everywhere, including living quarters. The black widow's web is not like smooth and beautiful patterns large spiders, it is horizontal, long, and completely chaotic.

Black widow lifestyle

Black Widow is a little spider. However, the victims are disproportionately larger than himself.

Despite the impressive number of eyes, from 6 to 8, spiders see very poorly. The Black Widow perfectly feels the approach of an object with her body, with the help of vibration, sometimes turning in the direction of movement and looking closely with her two larger, stronger eyes. It lives in steppes, ditches, ravines, on the ruins of abandoned villages, settling in cracks in the ground and trees, minks of small rodents, by the onset of cold weather they can move into living quarters, basements, cellars, which increases people's anxiety. But not for long, because in late October - early November, adult spiders die from the cold, leaving spiders in cocoons to wait for spring.

Reproduction and habitat

Despite all its poisonousness, the black widow never bites people on purpose. This is a defensive reaction in case of danger that this small and insidious spider feels.

After mating, females of all types of black widow bite off their partners' heads, for which they received this unusual name. Individuals are immune to their own poison, so females have no problems with poisoning from a partner. Then, at the end of summer, the black widow spiders attach cocoons to the web, from which, after 8 days, small spiderlings hatch, which become independent only by spring.

Black widows are common throughout the globe, but the main habitat is the desert of Central Asia, there are many species in Africa and America, and representatives of the black widow are increasingly noticed in different cities world where they have never been seen before.

Favorite treat

Not only insects, but also larger representatives of the animal world can be found in the web of a black widow, for example, small lizards or snakes.

black widow and man

A meeting with a black widow can turn out to be very, very sad for a person, because this type of spider was considered the most dangerous in the world until it was ousted from the first place brazilian spider soldier. Poison black widow more toxic than poison rattlesnake 15 times, the bite is invisible externally, and the toxins of the poison spread throughout the body with lightning speed. It is noteworthy that spiders do not attack themselves, only in case of danger threatening them or if their web is disturbed.

At first, the bite goes unnoticed. But soon necrosis of tissues located at the site of the bite begins. If no action is taken, death can occur within a few days.

The bite of a black widow can cause fatal outcome in a few days if you do not seek help immediately. You can save yourself from death if you burn the bite site for a few minutes, for example, with a freshly extinguished match head, after which you urgently need to go to the hospital.

Black Widow is one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, having 30 species in the genus. The length of the female karakurt is 10-20 mm, which is much larger than the males, at best, their length is 5-7 mm. All female species after mating bite off the head of their partner. You should only be afraid of a bite of a female (for people or livestock), males are not able to bite through the hard layer of the epidermis.

The black widow (Latrodectus mactans) spins its web most often close to the ground, in darkened hidden places. True, sometimes snares are also found above plants, between logs, in all kinds of cracks, under stones, in a vineyard, etc. Despite 6 - 8 eyes, spiders do not see well, but they perfectly feel the approach of an object with their body, with the help of vibrations. The life cycle is only one year, and in late October or early November, adult spiders die from the cold, and spiders remain in cocoons in anticipation of spring.

Small offspring have an orange, white or yellowish-white color, becoming darker after the next molt. Cubs appear in 3-4 weeks. Curiously, tiny black widows are also cannibals. Already in the cocoon they begin to eat each other. As a result, only 10-12 spiderlings are born.

In essence, a black widow is a predator and a loner. The female is often located in the web upside down; its bright red label, reminiscent of an hourglass, is a warning of danger. This arthropod is poisonous. Feeling minimal danger, the spider falls out of the web, pretending to be dead. Outside the trap, the female is quite clumsy.

It feeds on insects, but, by the way, does not shun wood lice, diplopods, and other arachnids. After a bite, it drags the prey to the side to be eaten. The process of digestion occurs externally from the spider. During a bite, digestive enzymes are injected through the wound, and after a certain period, the mixture is eaten.

Black widows live almost everywhere, but their main habitats are middle Asia, also, many species live in Africa and America. Tellingly, more and more often representatives of the black widow are found in various cities of the world, where they have not been observed before.

Video: Black Widow Spider (lat. Latrodectus mactans)