black widow

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A female black widow spider hangs upside down in her web near a white egg sac, with tiny baby spiders crawling nearby.

Crazy in Love: Why Some Animals Eat Their Mates

A man sleeps with his mouth open on a bed, while a large spider sits on the pillow near his hand.

Illustration of a black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) shown from above, with a close-up ventral view highlighting the red hourglass marking on its underside. A scale bar compares its size to 3 centimeters and 1 inch.

Illustration of a red widow spider (Latrodectus bishopi) showing its reddish legs and cephalothorax, with a black abdomen marked by red and white spots. A scale beside the spider indicates its size is about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

Illustration of a brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) with long legs and a patterned brown body, shown from above. An inset displays the spider's underside, highlighting its ventral markings. A scale bar indicates its size, about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

A Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) with a shiny black body and distinctive red stripe on its rounded abdomen stands on a light tan surface.

Illustration of a redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) showing a black body with a distinctive red stripe on its back, alongside a scale indicating its size of about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

black widow: Media

spider

Videos

Crazy in Love: Why Some Animals Eat Their Mates

Crazy in Love: Why Some Animals Eat Their Mates

Love can be a dangerous game.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

A man sleeps with his mouth open on a bed, while a large spider sits on the pillow near his hand.

Do We Really Swallow Spiders in Our Sleep?

This myth is based on a web of lies.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

A female black widow spider hangs upside down in her web near a white egg sac, with tiny baby spiders crawling nearby.

Black widow spider

Female southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans) with her egg case (upper...

© Brberrys/Shutterstock.com

Illustration of a black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) shown from above, with a close-up ventral view highlighting the red hourglass marking on its underside. A scale bar compares its size to 3 centimeters and 1 inch.

Black widow spider

Illustration of a female southern black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

Illustration of a red widow spider (Latrodectus bishopi) showing its reddish legs and cephalothorax, with a black abdomen marked by red and white spots. A scale beside the spider indicates its size is about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

Red widow spider

Illustration of a red widow spider (Latrodectus bishopi). The spider is...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

Illustration of a brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) with long legs and a patterned brown body, shown from above. An inset displays the spider's underside, highlighting its ventral markings. A scale bar indicates its size, about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

Brown widow spider

Illustration of a brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

A Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) with a shiny black body and distinctive red stripe on its rounded abdomen stands on a light tan surface.

Redback

A female redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti), native to Australia.

© Ken Griffiths/stock.adobe.com

Illustration of a redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) showing a black body with a distinctive red stripe on its back, alongside a scale indicating its size of about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

Redback spider

Illustration of a female redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti).

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Patrick O'Neill Riley

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: