Widow Spiders

spiders · venom · insects

Dramatic dark colors. Many widow spiders are shiny black or brown with distinctive red or orange markings on their bellies, making them easy to spot and avoid in nature.

Found everywhere. Widow spiders live on every continent except Antarctica, making them one of the most widespread spider families on Earth.

Powerful venom. Widow spiders have venom that affects the nervous system, but they are actually quite shy and only bite if they feel squeezed or threatened.

The name's origin. Female widow spiders sometimes eat their mates after reproduction, which is where the dramatic 'widow' name comes from, though this doesn't happen as often as people think.

Expert hunters. These spiders build messy, tangled webs to catch insects and other small prey, then wrap them up and eat them over time.