Latrodectus Tredecimguttatus (Black Widow)
When you hear scientific and complex title like this, you ask your self: what the hack is this?
Well, plain and simple - it's the Black Widow spider!
Reputation of this creature precedes it, but basically it's just a small bug. Venomous bug though, but nevertheless tiny, timid spider.
I have been catching and keeping these spiders as pets since I can remember myself. I was always fascinated with spiders, especially with two things: its web and its patience!
There are many species in Latrodectus genus, depending on which part of the world they inhabit; Lactrodectus Mactans - North America, Latrodectus Tredecimguttatus - Mediterranean to China, Latrodectus Hasselti - Australia, etc...
I am not going to write much about these spiders scientifically, since there is plenty material on internet for those interested. I just want to share my experiences.
Every summer when I was going to summer vacation on Island of Hvar in Croatia, on the first day I would catch one Latrodectus and put it inside my terrarium.
For whole summer me and my friends would catch bugs, wasps, hornets, scorpions and other reasonable sized prey and watch the fights between it and the Widow. Without exception, the Widow would always kill the prey!
The black widow is venomous animal, but the venom is rarely fatal to healthy humans. However it is extremely painful! The Latrodectism is the illness caused by the bite of Latrodectus spiders. Great pain, vomiting, sweating and muscle spasms are the main symptoms of latrodectism. It is said that it is comparable to birth labour or kidney stone pain!
It's web is amazingly tough! Actually, I don't know any other species of spider that has web tougher than this one.
Whey I am bound to catch them, the main sign of recognition is the tactile sense of the web toughness.
Its cocoon contains hundreds of small spiders which are inpatient to come out near the end of summer. They are cannibally, so they will eat each others until only few of them emerge as grown ups.
All photos on this page are @originalcontent by @stalexmkl.
Jezivo stvorenje!
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