LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Black Widow: Spiders
built 179 days ago
Both Western and Eastern Black Widows spin webs that lack shape and form. Their webs are erratic in appearance, and the silk is stronger than almost all other arachnids. The webs are rough and sticky. The black widow spider is shy and nocturnal in habit, usually staying hidden in her web, hanging belly upward. Although not aggressive, she may rush out and bite when her web is disturbed or when accidentally
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Black widow spiders tend to bite defensively when their webs are disturbed. Old stumps or wood piles are favorite hiding places of black widow spiders. Most bites occur in rural and suburban areas and occur between the months of April and October. Bites to babies and children may be more serious than bites to adults.
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The adult female black widow spider has a shiny, jet black, spherical abdomen with two connected red triangles on the underside that form a characteristic hourglass marking. Note... that the hourglass color may range from yellowish to various shades of orange or red. Adult females are about 1/2-inch long, not including the legs (about 1-1/2 inches when legs are spread). Adult males are harmless, about half the female’s size, with smaller bodies and longer legs. The male’s abdomen usually has red spots along the upper midline and white lines or bars radiating out to the sides. Newly hatched spiderlings are predominately white or yellowish-white, gradually acquiring more black and varying amounts of red and white with each molt.
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Adult female black widow spiders are gloss black with an hourglass shaped marking on the underside of its abdomen which can range from orange to red. They ... bear a small, usually red (colors vary) dot near the spinnerets, which is separate from the hourglass. In L. variolus, the two halves of the hourglass shape may be separated into two separate patches. A large female black widow spider can grow to about 1.5 inches (37 mm), counting leg-span. The body is about 0.5-0.6 inches (12-15 mm). Male black widow spiders are half the size of the female or smaller.
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Black widows are actually timid and solitary. The only social life they exhibit is when they mate. They are cannibalistic and nocturnal. During the daylight hours, this spider spends its time in the silken tunnel of its web. The female will hang upside down displaying the red hourglass as a visible warning signal. They feed on insects and arthropods, and have an average lifespan of one year.
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Black widow spiders can be found in all four deserts of the American Southwest, including the Sonoran Desert where Phoenix is located. There are different types of widow spiders, and all of them are venomous to varying degrees.
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