Hobbies And Interests
Description
Black widow spiders are black in color. Females are about 1.5 inches in size, and males are half that size. The females has a distinctive red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen, and the male has yellow or red spots on its back. Both the male and female black widow spider have large, round abdomens.
The brown recluse spider is also known as the "violin spider," because it has a dark brown violin-shaped marking on its back, with the neck of the violin pointing towards the spider's rear. The color of the spider ranges from brownish-yellow to dark brown. Female brown recluse spiders are usually about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in size, and males are smaller.
Dangers
Black widow spiders have the ability to bite humans, but they do not actively seek out people to bite. Most bites happen when a person accidentally disturbs the spider's resting spot. According to "The National Geographic" web site, black widow spider bites are reported to be 15 times stronger than rattlesnake bites. Bites can produce muscle aches, nausea and difficulty breathing, but they rarely cause death. Bites from black widow spiders are usually fatal only in children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems.
Brown recluse spiders also are not aggressive and bite only in self-defense. Most brown recluse spider bites are painless, and the victim only becomes aware of it a few hours later when the area becomes red and swollen. Some victims never develop any reaction to the spider bites, but in other cases victims develop fever, chills, dizziness or vomiting. Bites from brown recluse spiders can sometimes cause tissue necrosis, depending on how much venom was injected into the tissue and how the victim's body reacts to the venom. The necrosis -- the death of living cells -- is caused by the venom attacking the cells and destroying surrounding tissue. Some necrotic wounds heal within a few months, while others can take years and can result in amputation of a limb due to infection.
Habitat
Black widow spiders spin irregularly shaped webs known as cobwebs and hang in the center of the web at night waiting for prey. These webs are usually found in warm crawl spaces, garages and basements. During the day, they retreat to dark crevices and corners to hide.
Brown recluse spiders are hunting spiders and do not spin webs to catch prey. They hunt at night and catch prey by ambushing it and chasing after it. Brown recluse spiders retreat during the day to dark, warm places, such as attics, barns, woodpiles and porches, where they spin a mat of silk in corners and crevices to rest on.