# Black Widow (*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. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 4/5 · High - **Snaps:** 13 - **Habitat:** Urban areas - **Also known as:** Black Widow Spider, Southern Black Widow ![Black Widow](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424783/objects/5912.jpg) ## Appearance 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. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Theridiidae - **Genus:** Latrodectus ## Interesting facts - 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! ## Special abilities - **Super Sticky Silks:** Black Widow has incredibly strong, sticky silk that helps them build tangled webs to catch unsuspecting insects. - **Venomous Bite:** Black Widow can deliver a powerful neurotoxic venom because of specialized fangs that helps them quickly subdue prey. - **Master Ambush Hunter:** Black Widow can sense tiny vibrations through their web that helps them locate and ambush prey hidden in the dark. ## Measurements & details - **Size:** 3-13 mm - **Lifespan:** 90-1095 days - **Leg Count:** 8 ## Diet & Feeding Black Widows are tiny hunters that mostly eat other insects trapped in their super sticky webs. - **Primary Foods:** flies, mosquitoes, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, spiders - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — A common insect often caught in their sticky webs. - **Hunts:** [House Cricket](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-cricket) (*Acheta domesticus*) — Frequently trapped by Black Widows in their ground-level webs. - **Eaten by:** [Great Golden Digger Wasp](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-golden-digger-wasp) (*Chlorion aerarium*) — Larvae of this wasp feed on paralyzed spiders. ## Traits - [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Web Builder](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/web-builder): This trait characterizes organisms that construct elaborate silken webs for catching prey, shelter, or reproduction. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. - [Threatened](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/threatened): Threatened status denotes a species likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future without effective conservation interventions. - [Venomous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/venomous): Venomous organisms produce toxins that are injected into another animal, typically through a bite or sting. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 4/5 · High Never touch a Black Widow spider. If you see one, tell an adult to help you stay safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Black Widow? Compare body proportions, leg shape, abdomen markings and the web, if there is one. Eye arrangement can be decisive but rarely shows up in a casual phone photo. A web is a supporting clue, not proof of who built it. Spider Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How big is Black Widow? 3-13 mm ### How long does Black Widow live? 90-1095 days ### What does Black Widow eat? Black Widows are tiny hunters that mostly eat other insects trapped in their super sticky webs. ### Where is Black Widow usually found? Urban areas ### How does Black Widow hunt? Ambush ### How many legs does Black Widow have? 8 ## Where to spot - [Herring Run Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/herring-run-park) — Maryland, US · Park - [Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/red-hill-patrick-henry-national-memorial) — Virginia, US · National Park - [Rosemark](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rosemark) — Tennessee, US · Neighborhood - [Caldwell Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/caldwell-zoo) — Texas, US · Zoo - [Blackstone Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackstone-historic-district) — Virginia, US · Historic District - [Demopolis Town Square](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/demopolis-town-square) — Alabama, US · Park [View all places to see Black Widow](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/black-widow) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Black Widow: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-widow)