Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus mactans)

The black widow is the reason why there are over 2,500 visits to poison control centers year after year in the United States.

It’s one of the species that can be easily found anywhere from the U.S. and some parts of Canada through Latin America and even the West Indies.

This spider is found in many different settings, like woodpiles, burrows, and any other plants that might serve as support for its web. The female has a shiny black body and a reddish-to-yellow hourglass design on its spherical abdomen.

The male is rarely seen, as it is almost always killed and eaten by the female after mating (and now we know why it’s called a black widow).

The Black Widow’s bite could feel like a pinprick on the skin, and it often produces serious muscle pain, cramping, nausea, and mild paralysis of the diaphragm, which could make breathing very difficult.