If you had to name the most venomous spider species that exists within the United States, you would probably name either the black widow or the brown recluse species. While brown recluse spiders are certainly dangerous in their own right due to the necrotizing compounds found within their venom, no spider species in the US is more venomous than the black widow species. Although black widow spiders are almost universally known to American citizens, very few people are aware that the US is actually home to five species of widow spider. The widow spider that is the most venomous and most well known is the southern black widow spider. In addition to this widely distributed species, there also exists the northern black widow species, the western black widow species, the red widow species and the brown widow species. Of all these widow species, the brown widow is the least dangerous to humans, as they are relatively docile and often go to extremes in order to avoid humans. That being said, brown widow spiders are by no means harmless, as they still produce toxic venom that is known for sometimes causing medically significant effects in humans. This species is a relative newcomer to the United States where they are not native, but this species quickly established an extensive habitat in Louisiana where these spiders are commonly found within buildings, on park benches and in homes.

Reports of brown widow sightings began flooding into extension offices in Louisiana during the summer of 2012. That year, a Zachary woman nearly sustained a bite from this potentially deadly widow species before she spotted the spider on her door frame. It was not until after she killed the spider and searched for it on Google that she realized that the spider in her home was a brown widow species. According to professors with Louisiana State University’s Entomology Department, the brown widow suddenly appeared in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Once brown widows began appearing in large numbers within the state, they began to dwell within areas where experts had assumed they could not survive. Entomologist Dr. Dennis Ring claims that brown widows are not much different than black widows, only they are brown in color, as their common name makes clear. The Dr. also stated that brown widow bites are pretty serious and it can take a few days before bite symptoms become serious, but their venomous bites will most certainly cause skin to “rot”.

If you sustained a brown widow bite would you immediately report to an emergency room for treatment?

Some arachnid enthusiasts insist that spiders are, in fact, beautiful creatures. Many arachnid lovers are convinced that the supposed elegance and charm of spiders is tragically lost on those who fear them. Although beauty is subjective, most people would probably agree that animals such as horses, lions and peacocks are more deserving of the label than spiders. That being said, there is no denying a spider’s talent for web design. Of course, spiders are not tech savvy creatures with a knowledge of computer software; instead, spiders are capable of building awe-inspiring silk webs that even the most fearful of arachnophobes could not disparage. Not all spider webs appear as silken masterpieces of near perfect symmetry. The group of arachnids known as orb-weavers are the most gifted of all web-building spiders. While orb-weaver spiders create the most geometrically sound web designs, all spider webs are built to last, as they are more durable than steel and tougher than kevlar. However, as durable as spider webs are, it is odd to find one that has lasted for 140 million years, but this is exactly what a group of researchers recently found in England.

It should be mentioned that the ancient spider web was fossilized in amber, but this is still impressive considering that amber fossils only form around objects that are durable enough to make an impression on viscous tree resin. This discovery also shows that a spider web can maintain structural integrity during the long process of amber-fossilization. Upon microscopic examination, researchers found that the fossil contained a sticky substance that modern spiders use to fuse silk strings together during web construction. Spiders adapted the ability to produce this sticky substance in order to capture a greater amount of prey, as well as larger sized prey.  According to paleobiologist Martin Brasier of Oxford University, these droplets indicate that spiders coevolved with insects, which is notable considering that researchers have long assumed that spider evolution occurred later than insect evolution. The fossilized web was created by an extinct ancestor of orb-weaver spiders during a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Do you believe that possessing eight legs gives spiders a specific advantage that has not yet been considered by scientists?