How dangerous is the Black Widow spider and what are the consequences of a bite. 
The black widow (Latrodectus mactans) is a deadly species of spider that densely inhabits North America, Australia and Oceania. 
Female Black Widows are extremely dangerous and aggressive, they attack without warning! The slightest provocation or sudden movement - and you are guaranteed a bite. In addition to death, there may be serious health consequences for humans. Within 15 to 60 minutes of the bite, a neurotoxin called a-latrotoxin spreads through the victim's lymphatic system. Before the invention of the antidote, 5% of people died from a Black Widow bite. 
Males of the Black Widow are not aggressive, but it is the females who bite more often. The female is larger than the male, her body diameter is 1 cm, but the length of her legs is up to 5 cm. The neurotoxin found in Black Widow venom is 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom. A Black Widow bite is accompanied by immediate sharp pain at the site of the bite, and after 15-60 minutes other symptoms begin to appear. First of all, these are severe pains in the abdominal region. In addition to pain in the abdomen, pain and cramps begin in the limbs, the patient begins to rush about, breathing becomes difficult, and panic begins. Nausea, headaches, salivation, severe sweating, hyperreflexia, hypertension, paresthesia of the extremities, and low fever may also be observed. With timely medical care, after 2-3 hours the pain subsides, but does not go away completely. Full recovery occurs in about a week. 
More often than not, our fears of spiders are unfounded, but not in the case of the Black Widow. Among all the spiders on the planet, this species is the most poisonous. The Black Widow's body is black, and on its abdomen it has a characteristic red spot shaped like an hourglass. 
The spider's peak aggressiveness occurs from mid-April to October. This species of spider received its name due to the cannibalism that the female exhibits towards the male after fertilization. During the mating season, the male who has discovered the female’s lair behaves extremely carefully. The male literally “sniffs” the web, trying to understand how long ago the female ate. If the female is hungry, then the date will probably not even have time to begin, and the male will be eaten without knowing the pleasures of love. 
Not only females are distinguished by cannibalism: spiderlings, while in a cocoon, begin to eat each other, and as a result, from 1 to 12 babies hatch. The breeding season occurs at the end of summer July-August. At this time, the female Black Widow is capable of creating 5-10 cocoons, in which 400 to 600 eggs are laid.
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