Dangerous Creatures: Black Widow Spider

(North, Central and South America, tropical Europe and Asia, Africa, northern Australia)

   A female black widow is a much better mother than she is a mate.
   Spiders use silk thread, produced within their own bodies, to make their webs.
   Some females are more deadly than the males of their species.
   A bite from the black widow, or the rattlesnake, will hurt. But it’s not likely to kill you.
   You’d bring a gift as well! A female black widow, like some scorpions, may eat the male after mating.
   Video: A female black widow is a good homemaker. She guards her egg sac until the babies hatch, and carefully wraps up extra food for future meals.
   Advice: Black widows bite only in self-defence. So if you see one, leave it alone. They like to make their webs across the seats in outdoor toilets. So I suggest you look before you sit!

Next: Not all spiders are as dangerous as the black widow. One that looks frightening but is relatively harmless is the tarantula.