# Western Black Widow (*latrodectus hesperus*) The Western Black Widow is a shiny black spider with a distinctive red hourglass shape on its belly. It is known for its web-making skills and can be found in many places, including gardens and forests! - **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate - **Snaps:** 29 - **Habitat:** They typically live in dark, sheltered areas like woodpiles, under rocks, or inside buildings. - **Also known as:** Red Hourglass Spider, Western Widow, Widow Spider ![Western Black Widow](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Latrodectus_hesperus_1.jpg&width=800) Photo: B D, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Latrodectus_hesperus_1.jpg) ## Appearance The Western Black Widow is a shiny, jet-black spider with a distinctive red hourglass marking on the underside of her rounded abdomen. This hourglass can sometimes look broken or X-shaped, differentiating her from similar species. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Arachnida - **Order:** Araneae - **Family:** Theridiidae - **Genus:** Latrodectus ## Interesting facts - Baby black widows are actually orange and white, looking nothing like their parents! - Despite their scary name, male Western Black Widows are tiny and don't have dangerous venom. - Their venom is incredibly potent, said to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake's! - They feel vibrations in their web to 'see' where prey or danger is coming from! ## Special abilities - **Super Silk Weaver:** Western Black Widows can spin incredibly strong, sticky silk because of specialized glands that help them build durable, irregular webs to trap prey. - **Venomous Bite:** Western Black Widows possess potent venom that helps them quickly subdue their prey, delivered through fangs. - **Vibration Sensor:** Western Black Widows have sensitive hairs on their legs that help them detect tiny vibrations in their web, alerting them to prey or danger. ## Diet & Feeding Western Black Widows are super skilled hunters, munching on insects and other small critters they catch in their sticky webs! - **Primary Foods:** grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, flies, moths - **Foraging Method:** Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Parasitizes:** Black Widow Egg Parasitoid Wasp (*Baeus latrodecti*) — lays eggs inside black widow egg sacs - **Eats:** [Field Cricket](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-cricket) (*Gryllus assimilis*) — crickets are a common prey item for the spider - **Hunts:** Black and Yellow Mud Dauber (*Sceliphron caementarium*) — paralyzes and provisions for its larvae - **Eats:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — flies often get caught in their sticky webs ## Traits - [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. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day. - [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 - [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates) ## Safety **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate Always be cautious and avoid touching spiders. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Western 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. ### What does Western Black Widow eat? Western Black Widows are super skilled hunters, munching on insects and other small critters they catch in their sticky webs! ### Where is Western Black Widow usually found? They typically live in dark, sheltered areas like woodpiles, under rocks, or inside buildings. ### How does Western Black Widow hunt? Ambush ## Where to spot - [City Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/city-park) — Colorado, US · Park - [Monument Rocks](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/monument-rocks) — Kansas, US · Nature Reserve - [Old Town Albuquerque](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/old-town-albuquerque) — New Mexico, US · Neighborhood - [Rio Grande Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/rio-grande-botanic-garden-new-mexico) — New Mexico, US · Zoo - [Sabino Canyon](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sabino-canyon) — Arizona, US · Natural Landmark - [Sonoma Plaza](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sonoma-plaza) — California, US · Park [View all places to see Western Black Widow](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/western-black-widow) ## More Invertebrate - [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral) - [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*) - [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*) - [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*) --- Source: [Western Black Widow: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-black-widow)