Black Widows-

Southern Black widow, or Lactrodectus mactans

I have never seen a black widow for more than ten seconds before, so I don't have any pictures to show you. But, I can tell you some things about them. Females are most recognizable by a distinct hourglass marking on their under-abdomen. Females are always black, with a glossy tint. Males can be black, but are usually red or brown. The black widow in general, whether it be male or female, has a cephalothorax that is much, much smaller than the abdomen. The abdomen is shaped somewhat like a sphere, very round, and large. The venom of the female black widow is rarely fatal, if given immediate medical attention. The usual signs of a black widow bite are nausea, vomiting, sweating, cramps, faintness, headache, itching, and increased blood pressure, to name a few. If bitten by a black widow, or, now that I think about it, any spider at all, instantly seek medical attention. Black widows, despite their notorious reputation, are not as aggressive as you might think. Even if disturbed in it's own web, a black widow will most likely try to run away rather than bite. To prevent spider bites, wear heavy gloves when working outside, especially when reaching into unseen places, such as in a log, under a log, under a house, etc. Black widows prefer to have their webs close to the ground, or a solid surface, such as a large shelf. Don't worry about juveniles, whether male or female, because they are harmless to humans. Try to keep your smaller pets (such as small dogs and cats) away from places where a black widow might be, because us humans are big, so there are only small traces of venom in our blood, where as cats, for example, have less blood, so there will be larger amounts of the venom in Mr. Whisker's blood, which may be deadly. Black widows will eat most anything that is smaller than it, such as flies, scorpions, even other spiders! I wish I could give you more information, but this is all I know. Bye-bye!