"The spider, a spider – black legs, red boots, we fed you, we gave to drink to you …". The children's song cheerfully tells about a lovely insect, and here at a real meeting with spiders to affection is very far. Especially when you see before yourself not just a spider, and the black widow.
Straw vdovushka
This not really big female of a black spider has disgusting reputation. Rumors about it are very various, one is more awful than another. Here the most terrible of them. Its sting is deadly and she eats own husband for lunch.
In general, black widows (in Latin Latrodectus), are rich with the poisonous relatives. In Central Asia, the Crimea and Southern Europe there lives a spider-karakurt which stings are also dangerous. But the second step in the rating of "virulence" belongs to this North American vdovushka. Its poison by 15 times koncentrirovanny, than at a rattlesnake, also concedes only to poison of the Brazilian spiders soldiers. Their homeland North America with its hot climate is considered, but today these insects made the way even to Oceania and Australia.
The black widow can be distinguished easily on red spots in the form of triangles on a black paunch. Sometimes spots merge, forming a figure of hourglasses. Length of her pads and a glossy trunk on 12 mm. The sizes of males are almost twice less, apparently, to minimize resistance.
Love to a grave
Here rules rigid – any adulteries! As soon as pairing ends or even during it the female of a spider literally devours the blessed. There is an assumption that some males carry away pads from deadly love in time, but it is only a single exception of the awful rule. Having had a bite, forgive – the husband, the female of a spider spins a cocoon where begins to lay eggs. She diligently hides it in the secluded town under a snag, a big stone or in a small pole. Future mummy is nearby and is ready to protect the laying any minute. So not to be necessary to be enough from dispersal these whitish pellets – it is possible to receive a lethal dose of poison.
Stings of a spider
According to scientists, poison of the black widow possesses neurotoxic action stronger than poison of a coral snake or a cobra. Saves from painful death of the bitten person only the fact that the amount of the poison getting to blood is small. However in the place of a sting there is at once quite severe pain which passes to all body soon, being followed by spasms. It becomes difficult to breathe, the stomach is condensed and hardens, the headache, fever and nausea develop. Attacks of pain alternate with strong perspiration. Such state lasts three days, and the absolute recovery occurs in a week.