Black Widow Spider Facts

• Name: The name “black widow” comes from a behavior of some species in which the female eats the male after mating.
• Size: The female is about half inch long, the male is only about half the size of its female counterpart.
• Appearance and Color: The female black widow is black with an hourglass mark on its abdomen. This mark can range in color from a deep red to yellow. The males are usually brown or gray and sometimes do not have the red colored mark on the abdomen.
• Bites: The female black widow rarely eats the male after mating, although it is true that the female’s bite is three times are more venomous than the male’s bite.