Black Widow

Description:

Larger than a fifty-cent piece (in total size; legs included) this spider was dark black with obvious red markings on her belly. The web was spun right near the toilet of an outhouse at the state park.

Habitat:

Hot and dry area of Kansas. Her web was in a poorly ventilated, shaded area within the outhouse, however right in an open spot. The area had seen severe drought in the last year, yet she seemed to be of decent size.

Notes:

I refer to this spider as "her" because most articles describe the female spider as being much larger than the male. I've seen a dead male black widow and remember it being much smaller but I can't be sure this was a female.