Black Widow

Description:

Of the 30,000 types of spiders, the black widow is probably the one best known and feared. The black widow is medium-sized spider whose body is about a half-inch long. The name is derived from the mistaken belief that the female invariably kills the male after mating. The nothern black widow has a row of red spots down the middle of the upper surface of its abdomen and two crosswise bars on the undersurface. The markings can also be yellow or white, and the spider itself may be brown or have red legs. Black widow spiders are nocturnal and are active at night.

Habitat:

Although the spider is mostly found in the southern United states, it may be seen throughout the US Five species are common to the US, with two of them being the most common.