April 23, 2007

Black...

Widow!
Posted by Ann Althouse at 10:47 PM
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9 comments:

Synova said...

Beautiful.

'Course at our house finding a poisonous beasty usually results in "Hey, kids, come look at this!" Followed by, "Mom, can we keep it?"

What I'd really like to know, however, is what a brown recluse looks like.

4/23/07, 11:36 PM
Drew W said...

Yipes. Those spider shots looked like they were taken from an Incredible Shrinking Man perspective.

4/24/07, 12:46 AM
Rick Lee said...

In order to see the red hourglass (which is on the stomach side) I put the spider on a piece of glass and I laid on the floor under it. My friend Alex wrangled it with a pencil, keeping it in the center of the glass.

4/24/07, 12:59 AM
aquariid said...

I've always had problems with these ladies. Awhile back I went outside at night and massacred about 2 dozen living in the nooks and crannies of an adobe wall. I was worried about these horses who like to scratch their behinds on the wall. I knew a guy who had one drop off the ceiling onto his bed and bite him, he went to the hospital and was okay after a couple of days. They have distinctive chaotic webs made up of long straight strands placed randomly around a convenient hiding place. When I was a little kid I was terrified of spiders. Right now I have a garden variety type living in the corner of my bedroom window. I leave the door open and he/she kills the flies.
Synova, I wouldn't worry about the brown recluse. I have never heard of a verified sighting in NM (we be neighbors!)

4/24/07, 2:29 AM
George M. Spencer said...

SPIDERS : COURTSHIP BEHAVIORS THAT BOTH STIMULATE THE FEMALE AND ENSURE THE MALE IS NOT MISTAKEN FOR A PREY ITEM

S. Aaron Spriggs

Turns out that some female spiders actually make noises during sex, apparently to stimulate their male partners.

http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/courses/en507/papers_1995/spriggs.html

4/24/07, 5:52 AM
Crimso said...

Coincidentally, my father-in-law showed me one on Sunday that was particularly large (he lives on a farm and has tons of them). We lived with brown recluses for a couple of years. Very hard to eradicate, and very nerve-wracking to live with (we'd see at least one a day). I'd rather be bitten by a widow than a recluse, though.

4/24/07, 6:52 AM
Jennifer said...

I'm intrigued! I love Rick's pictures. But I'm such a wimp about the creepy crawlies...guess I'll stay here where it's safe.

4/24/07, 8:18 AM
vet66 said...

Don't be as afraid as the male black widow. He faces being killed and eaten after mating.

He asks himself, "Do you feel lucky punk? Well do you?" Then he goes for it as the Black Dahlia hangs upside down watching and waiting.

Was it worth it? Hell yes! as he feels the web move!

4/24/07, 8:40 AM
Christy said...

My Mom was bitten by one on the foot about 50 years ago. It has caused circulation problems in that leg ever since.

4/24/07, 9:24 AM

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