




Latrodectus mactans
The Black Widow is a shiny black spider with a red hourglass shape on its belly. It spins strong webs to catch insects for food.
Habitat: Urban areas
The Black Widow is a medium-sized spider, famously shiny black with long, slender legs. It has a distinct, bright red or orange hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of its rounded abdomen, making it visually unique.





Category
InsectsRarity
Common
Danger
4/5 · High
Snaps
13
A female black widow's venom is 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's venom!
Baby black widows sometimes float away on silk strands, like tiny parachutists!
Black Widows can survive for several months without eating any food!
Their silk is so strong that, ounce for ounce, it's tougher than steel!
Black Widow has incredibly strong, sticky silk that helps them build tangled webs to catch unsuspecting insects.
Black Widow can deliver a powerful neurotoxic venom because of specialized fangs that helps them quickly subdue prey.
Black Widow can sense tiny vibrations through their web that helps them locate and ambush prey hidden in the dark.
Black Widows are tiny hunters that mostly eat other insects trapped in their super sticky webs.
Musca domestica
A common insect often caught in their sticky webs.

Acheta domesticus
Frequently trapped by Black Widows in their ground-level webs.

Chlorion aerarium
Larvae of this wasp feed on paralyzed spiders.
Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats.
Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
This trait characterizes organisms that construct elaborate silken webs for catching prey, shelter, or reproduction.
This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.
Threatened status denotes a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future without effective conservation interventions.
Venomous organisms produce toxins that are injected into another animal, typically through a bite or sting.
Danger
4/5 · High
Never touch a Black Widow spider. If you see one, tell an adult to help you stay safe.
The easiest way to identify Black Widow is to use the Snappit nature identifier app.
3-13 mm
90-1095 days
Black Widows are tiny hunters that mostly eat other insects trapped in their super sticky webs.
Urban areas
Ambush
8
Zoom in to split clusters and explore where this object has been snapped.
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Maryland, US
You might spot Ivy-Leaved Toadflax, Duck, and Spotted Lanternfly.
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Virginia, US
You might spot Osage-Orange, Purple Finch, and Turkey.
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Tennessee, US
You might spot Eastern Bluebird and Red-Shouldered Hawk.
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Texas, US
You might spot African Elephant, Reticulated Giraffe, and African Lion.
View guide →
Virginia, US
You might spot White-Tailed Deer and Spotted Salamander.
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Alabama, US
You might spot Chinese Tallow and Marbled Salamander.
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