One of the most dangerous spiders on Earth and most dangerous in North America is called the black widow spider (Latrodectus).
It makes sense why Scarlett Johansson’s character, Natasha Romanoff, is nicknamed after the black widow. The red hourglass design of the spider’s abdomen is depicted in the belt buckle of her costume.
According to Actionpest.com, unlike Romanoff, the spider is rarely known to attack when spotted. If the black widow is not threatened or pressed against skin, it will likely run away.
Black widow spiders have a venom that is roughly 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake’s and, according to some victims, it hurts considerably more.
Smithsonianag.com explains a black widow’s venom contains a chemical, alpha-latrotoxin, which overwhelms all the nerve cells it reaches causing them to dump their signaling chemicals to the neighboring cells. This causes immense pain that results in swelling, chills, headaches, nausea, and cramping.
Unlike what their reputation says about their fatality, a black widow bite is usually only fatal for young children, ill people, and the elderly.
This is partly because the spider’s venom doesn’t release all at once, and partly because it will only result in pain for people with strong immune systems.
Black widow spiders like warm temperatures, as stated in Cleggs.com, so we are somewhat safe from this spider in chilly Pennsylvania. They are most commonly found in Florida and Texas.
Some surprising facts, there are three types of black widow spiders in America. On Sciencedirect.com, research from Animal Behavior in 2016 found that when these spiders are born, they are born violent. If one spiderling is bigger than the other, the bigger one eats the smaller one. This horrifying act of spider cannibalism is called siblicide. For more fun facts, you can always check out the arachnid section of the SHS library.
Though aggressive, they help the environment by controlling the insect population. Essentially, these spiders are more beneficial than they are harmful, despite Hollywood depictions.