Karakurt spider is one of the most dangerous and poisonous creatures on earth. The name of the spider in translation means “black worm”. In the Kalmyk language, the name of the species means “black widow.” It fully justifies itself and is due to the ability of a female individual to eat male individuals after mating. Spiders also pose a great danger to humans, especially females that have reached puberty. They tend to move very quickly.
It has been scientifically proven that the venom of karakurt is 15-20 times stronger than the venom of the most poisonous snake. Male individuals are much smaller in size and are unable to bite through human skin and cause harm. This type of spider is very often associated with mysticism. This is explained by the presence of thirteen red spots on the spider's body.
Origin of the species and description
Photo: Karakurt spider
Karakurt belongs to the arthropod arachnids, is a representative of the order of spiders, the family of web spiders, classified in the genus black widows, a species of karakurt.
The exact period of origin of the ancient ancestors of modern spiders - arachnids - is quite difficult to establish, since they do not have a shell, and the chitinous layer is destroyed quite quickly. However, scientists and researchers still manage to occasionally discover such finds. Most often, the remains of the ancient ancestors of modern spiders were preserved in amber. The discovered findings made it possible not only to recreate the external image of the ancient ancestor of arthropods, but also to obtain entire pictures in the form of a frozen mating process, or weaving a web.
Video: Karakurt spider
Ancient amber finds allowed scientists to conclude that spiders already existed approximately 300 - 330 million years ago. On the territory of modern China, scientists have discovered fossils of ancient arthropods. In these finds, the shapes and body structure of insects were very clearly visible. It is in this area that the remains of the most ancient spider, Attercopus fimbriunguis, were discovered. The ancient representative of arthropods had small sizes, not exceeding five millimeters, and a long tail, which was about a fifth of the length of the body.
It was used by insects to secrete sticky threads. They were involuntarily released and used by ancient spiders to line burrows, wrap cocoons, and attract individuals of the opposite sex. Ancient arthropods of that time had a slightly different body structure. In addition to having a tail, which is absent in modern insects, they had an incompletely fused head and abdomen.
Presumably the first spiders appeared on Gondwana. With the formation of Pangea, they rapidly began to multiply and inhabited almost all parts of the Earth. Subsequent ice ages somewhat reduced the habitat areas of arachnids. These insects were characterized by fairly rapid spread and modification. At the beginning of the Carboniferous, they tended to lose the division of the cephalothorax and abdomen. Scientists say that the remains of spiders, which date back to 150-180 million years, allow us to conclude that the arthropods of that time were practically no different from modern spiders.
Why is the karakurt spider called the “black widow”?
This name is given not only to female spiders, but to the entire species as a whole. The reasons that they received this name are two facts: spiders are black in color with red spots on the abdomen. By the way, adult females may lack spots, which is why they become pure black, making them even more similar to a black widow; immediately after mating, the female eats her male (in the vast majority of cases).
Characteristics of the karakurt spider
Karakurt spider, appearance Spiders of this species have a ball-shaped abdomen and a cephalothorax. They are connected to each other by the seventh segment of the cephalothorax. From the abdomen come two pairs of jaws and four pairs of legs. The female has two upper jaws (chelicerae), at the ends of which there are hooks. On the other side of the jaws are poisonous glands. As already mentioned, they are black in color and most often have red spots on the abdomen. Over time, females may lose their red spots, and yellow stripes may also appear. It depends on their habitat. Eurasian female karakurts are monochromatic black, while American and Australian ones always have spots. A distinctive feature of this species is pronounced sexual dimorphism: the female is 3-4 times larger than the male. On average, the size of males is only 5-7 mm, and females are up to 20 mm. It is also interesting that the black widow spider has blue blood, not red, since blue (copper) hemocyanin is responsible for its formation.
Does the black widow live in Russia?
In Russia, spiders from the genus Latrodectus live in warm regions, for example in the steppes of Kalmykia, the Astrakhan region, as well as in the Black Sea and Azov regions.
There were cases of bites in the Orenburg, Kurgan and Saratov regions. This summer (2019), many news headlines were full of reports of attacks by black widows in the Moscow region, and even cases of bites were recorded, but without deaths.
Since spiders can travel using their web as a sail and thus move over long distances, this explains their appearance in the Moscow region.
Here you need to understand that most likely one of the varieties of the black widow Latrodectus tredecimguttatus ended up in the Moscow region, and not the deadly spider Latrodectus mactans.
Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is the European black widow, or our usual name karakurt. This is also a dangerous spider, it has external similarities with the species Latrodectus mactans, but is still less toxic.
Karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus)The poison contains a lethal dose of dangerous neurotoxin LD 50
- Latrodectus tredecimguttatus - 0.59 mg/kg;
- Latrodectus mactans - 0.90 mg/kg.
That is, in terms of the toxicity of the poison, the Russian spider is almost two times less poisonous compared to the “real” Black Widow.
Karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus)
It is regularly found in Crimea, and very rarely it can even be found in the Moscow region.
The habitat of the “real” deadly black widow Latrodectus mactans is the hot regions of the United States.
The genus of spiders of the Black Widow family (Latrodectus) has more than 31 species, and among them there are spiders very similar to the real black widow, most of them are less toxic compared to the species Latrodectus mactans.
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What does karakurt look like?
Karakurt looks like a medium-sized spider. Karakurt females are significantly larger than males in size. The female karakurt grows 2 cm in size, while the male karakurt is only 0.7 cm in size.
Karakurt looks quite unusual. The karakurt spider has a black body, and on its abdomen it has red or orange spots of various shapes. Both male and female karakurt have this coloration. Sometimes there may be a white outline around the spots. Often, upon reaching maturity, the karakurt spider can acquire a completely black color without spots.
Caring for offspring
Nest of karakurt
Caring for the offspring of karakurt females is clearly expressed during the incubation period. First of all, they look for a place for future laying, digging a nest in the ground, or adapting abandoned rodent burrows for this purpose. Before entering the nest, she pulls the trapping nets. And only then do they lay cocoons with eggs. Females remain in the nest throughout the incubation period. Juveniles usually appear in April.
With the appearance of the offspring, the maternal functions of the female are completed and the young, attached to the webs, are carried away by the wind. By the beginning of summer, young karakurt animals reach maturity and are capable of mating.
Interesting: Spiders - types of spiders, names, descriptions, photos and videos
Where does the karakurt live?
Karakurt lives in Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Afghanistan, along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, North Africa, southern Europe and Ukraine. In Russia, karakurt lives in the southern regions. The karakurt spider is especially common in the Astrakhan region, Krasnodar region and Crimea.
During particularly hot periods, this spider can migrate to the northern regions, but in such areas the karakurt lives only before the onset of winter. The most favorable living conditions for karakurt are those areas with hot summers and warm autumns. Karakurt lives in desert and steppe zones, wastelands, salt marshes, slopes of ravines and abandoned buildings.
Features of character and lifestyle
Photo: Karakurt spider in Crimea
This type of poisonous arthropod loves dry, hot weather. That is why their habitat region is strictly limited to warm, southern countries. Recently, cases of appearance and spread on the territory of the Russian Federation have become more frequent. Here they pose a serious danger to the population, since people do not always have information about their proximity to dangerous insects. Often, when cold weather sets in, they can penetrate directly into a person’s home.
They also cannot tolerate extreme heat and heat, and therefore, after the onset of extreme heat in some countries, they migrate to more northern regions. Spiders make their lair in inaccessible places - burrows of small rodents, crevices of concrete walls, low thickets of vegetation, and other places. The spider received its second nickname “black widow” because the female eats the male after mating. Moreover, this happens with each subsequent partner.
Interesting fact: By eating their partners, females receive the necessary amount of protein, which future offspring will later need.
Scientists claim that even if, in rare exceptions, males manage to avoid the sad fate of being eaten, they still die, as they lose all interest in food and instinctively stop eating it. Karakurts tend to lead a rather hidden lifestyle. They can attack or attack only when they sense danger.
Karakurt bite
The poison of the karakurt is quite strong, so a bite from a karakurt can be fatal. Fortunately, the karakurt attacks only if it is disturbed. Karakurt poison affects both animals and humans. The karakurt bite is not immediately noticeable and manifests itself within 10-15 minutes. During this time, the karakurt poison is already spreading throughout the body and the first signs of toxic poisoning begin to appear. Symptoms of a karakurt bite begin with a burning pain that spreads throughout the body. Typically, patients complain of severe pain in the chest, abdomen and lower back.
Also, a karakurt bite has the following symptoms: increased heart rate, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, headache, trembling, vomiting, sweating, spasms in the bronchi and urinary retention. In the later stages of poisoning, a person begins to experience blackouts and delirium. Cases of death have been recorded in people and farm animals that were bitten by karakurt.
Experts say that people with strong immunity can more easily withstand a karakurt bite than those weakened by illness or those with allergies. It should be remembered that the highest concentration of venom in black widows occurs during the mating season and after laying eggs; in other seasons, bites are less terrible. Males, in principle, do not pose a danger, since they do not possess poison and, due to their small size, cannot bite through the skin.
To neutralize the effects of karakurt poison, anti-karakurt serum is used. Novocaine, calcium chloride and magnesium hydrogen sulfate are also administered intravenously, which give positive results. If it is impossible to get medical help, you should cauterize the karakurt bite with a burning match. But this must be done no later than 5 minutes after the bite. You can also cauterize the bite site with a hot metal object. Since the spider bites through the skin to a depth of only 0.5 mm, the heat destroys the venom that has not had time to be absorbed. But even after cauterization, you must seek medical help.
Livestock suffers from karakurt bites, especially camels and horses. These animals often die from karakurt poison. Once every 10 years, a mass reproduction of the karakurt spider occurs; during these years, livestock farming suffers large losses. Now karakurt is destroyed with the help of insecticides that are sprayed on the soil. Of course, the poison of the karakurt is not aimed at causing harm to humans or livestock, but serves the spider only to obtain food. Karakurt eats various beetles, flies, locusts, cicadas and grasshoppers.
How to protect yourself from a karakurt bite
The most reliable defense against the deadly poison of karakurt is not to do anything stupid while relaxing in nature. To prevent contact with karakurt, you must follow certain rules:
1. For parking, you should choose areas that are unsuitable for karakurt life (the absence of a large number of rodent holes, cobwebs in soil depressions and on vegetation).
2. There is no need to walk barefoot in places where karakurts may live, and not only them.
3. You cannot sleep in the steppe on bare ground; you must use a tarpaulin or air mattresses, which are reliable protection against spider bites at night.
4. When collecting hay, straw, firewood, clearing forest belts and wastelands, it is recommended to use gloves and protective clothing, tuck pants into socks and boots.
5. You should not turn over stones or feel your way along rocky slopes at night.
6. It is not recommended to leave tents open all day. Before getting into bed or sleeping bag, you need to shake them thoroughly. Don't forget about shoes!
7. Most bites are provoked by the victims themselves. Summer residents and homeowners struggle with wild grasses on the territory of households and adjacent areas, so karakurts and tarantulas often take over vegetable gardens. Some people take off their shoes in the evening and leave them in the aisles. Spiders mistake abandoned shoes for a welcome mink - and the morning can be fatal.
Treatment if bitten by a black widow
If you are bitten by a karakurt, you must immediately, no later than 2-3 minutes later, burn the bite site with the head of a match (apply the head of an unlit match to the bite site and set it on fire with another match).
Karakurt poison penetrates the skin to a depth of 0.5 mm and disintegrates when heated. Other methods of destroying the poison are injecting 3-5 ml of a 0.1% aqueous solution of potassium permanganate into the wound site and applying the same lotion to the bite site.
For treatment, it is necessary to administer 1-2 doses of serum diluted in 1000 ml of saline intravenously. Specific antikarakurt serum is produced at the Tashkent Institute of Vaccines and Serums. One dose of this serum costs 37,000 rubles. This is a huge amount for regional hospitals.
Wherever a karakurt bite is received, the victim must be immediately taken to a medical facility. In case of severe intoxication, drinking plenty of fluids is recommended; in case of chills, trembling, feeling of cold and muscle tension, warming the extremities is recommended. A cold compress is applied to the bite site, salicylates and any painkillers are used.
Is it dangerous for humans?
The greatest danger to humans is the female black widow. Only she can bite through the skin. This arthropod can even bite through the nail plate of a finger or toe.
If the karakurt is not in immediate danger, it prefers to pretend to be dead, remaining motionless.
The animal's natural reaction is self-defense. Typically, a spider attacks a person only upon direct contact or damage to the catching web. The spider bites if it finds itself pinned to the ground or pressed against a person's body.
Facts of karakurt bites are more often recorded in the summer. But occasionally attacks are observed in the winter season, when due to abnormally warm weather the biological rhythm of arthropods is disrupted.
The particular danger of a spider bite is associated with the following circumstances:
- the defeat occurs painlessly. A person notices that he has suffered when the poison begins to spread throughout the body. The site of the bite is initially marked by two small red dots;
- As the infection progresses, a burning pain spreads throughout the body, moving to the abdomen and chest. It becomes difficult to breathe. Death, in most cases, is caused by pulmonary edema and cardiac problems;
- painful sensations are complemented by a disturbed psycho-emotional state, convulsions and involuntary muscle twitching.
In the worst case scenario, the person dies a day later. The total duration of action of the poison is up to three days. Karakurt poison is especially dangerous for children or people with poor health.
Structure of karakurt
The structure of the karakurt is practically no different from the structure of other spiders. Its body is divided into two sections: the anterior section of the body, with four pairs of eyes, is covered with a hard chitinous shield. The second section is the abdomen, which is covered with an elastic membrane. The arachnoid glands are located in this part of the body. On the head of the body there are two pairs of modified limbs - chelicerae and pedipalps, behind which are walking legs. Spiders have eight of them.
Chelicerae consist of one limb, at the end of which there is a claw into which the poison gland opens. They are designed to grab and hold prey, as well as protect against enemies.
The pedipalps are similar to the legs, but shorter. They are an organ of touch and usually do not take part in movement. In sexually mature males. They are slightly modified.
Structure of karakurt
The structure of the karakurt is practically no different from the structure of other spiders. Its body is divided into two sections: the anterior section of the body, with four pairs of eyes, is covered with a hard chitinous shield. The second section is the abdomen, which is covered with an elastic membrane. The arachnoid glands are located in this part of the body. On the head of the body there are two pairs of modified limbs - chelicerae and pedipalps, behind which are walking legs. Spiders have eight of them.
Chelicerae consist of one limb, at the end of which there is a claw into which the poison gland opens. They are designed to grab and hold prey, as well as protect against enemies.
The pedipalps are similar to the legs, but shorter. They are an organ of touch and usually do not take part in movement. In sexually mature males. They are slightly modified.
Nutrition
The black karakurt feeds on insects that fall into its nets. These are usually the types of arthropods that live directly next to the spiders themselves:
- beetles;
- grasshoppers;
- locusts;
- flies and horseflies.
It is interesting that the victims of karakurts are caught in horizontally stretched nets. At the same time, the web of karakurts is not distinguished by the grace of circular lines, but is made as if randomly, but at the same time it is very viscous and does not give the insect caught in it any chance of salvation.
The spider paralyzes the caught insect with poison and then sucks out its liquid tissue.
This is interesting! Did you know that spiders have blue blood? It turns out that it is not red hemoglobin that is responsible for the formation of their blood, but blue (copper) hemocyanin!
Reproduction and development
In the summer, spiders, having found a secluded place, begin mating games. The male karakurt creates a patina by scenting it with his pheromones to attract a female. As noted above, after mating, the male is mercilessly eaten, and the female begins to look for a secluded place to lay a clutch, in which she places up to 130 eggs.
Unlike other types of arachnids, the female karakurt forms from two to four cocoons, into which she lays eggs. For oviposition, she uses rodent burrows or similar secluded places. Here she weaves a web, from which she hangs her cocoons. When the autumn cold sets in, the female dies, having only slightly outlived her eaten husband.
The eggs in the cocoon are reliably protected from the cold and easily endure the winter, and in the spring they begin to fight for existence. In autumn, the wind tears the cocoons from the web, and the clutch begins its journey across the steppe, thus expanding the habitat of the species.
Our help! Once every 10-15 years there is a surge in the reproduction of karakurts. In such years, females are able to lay up to 1300 eggs per season.
The spiderlings appear quickly, within 10-15 days depending on the weather, but they do not leave the cocoon and live in it until next spring. At first, they feed on the food supply that nature has placed inside their body, then they switch to cannibalism, as a result of which only the strongest individuals are selected from the cocoon.
During spring and summer they grow, living through several molts during this time: males - seven times, females - nine.
Our help! The body of spiders is protected by an exoskeleton, a kind of shell made of chitin, which prevents the spider from developing further. Therefore, as black widows grow, they shed it and replace it with a new one, larger in size.
Black Widow bite and venom
As we wrote above, this spider is shy and timid, so it can bite only in self-defense or fright. When it bites, it injects only a small dose of venom, which can rarely kill a healthy person.
Those at risk of death from its bite are children, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems.
In all cases, it is important to begin treatment immediately after the bite, since it is not known how the toxins from the poison will behave in the body.
A spider bite is practically painless and can go unnoticed right away, for this reason it is difficult to understand why the person felt ill.
Black widow venom contains the neurotoxin alpha-latrotoxin, as well as adenosine, guanosine and inosine. These substances cause muscle contractions, headaches, nausea, dizziness and severe abdominal pain. Sweating and difficulty breathing may occur.
The poison is strong, its lethal dose LD50 is 0.90 mg/kg.
Social structure and reproduction
Photo: Karakurt spider in the Rostov region
This type of arthropod is characterized by a high degree of fertility. Every 9-12 years there is an incredibly high birth rate of these dangerous insects. The mating season begins at the height of the summer season. Before the start of the breeding period, the female looks for a secluded place. The male lays out a web that contains special pheramones that attract individuals of the opposite sex. Seeing his partner appear, the male performs something similar to a dance. He sways from side to side, moves his limbs.
After mating, the female mercilessly eats her partner and begins to look for a suitable place to lay eggs. Once a place is chosen, she carefully weaves it with a web, on which she lays out the cocoons. After the mission is completed, the female dies. The cocoon reliably protects the eggs from damage and cold. If strong winds blow in the fall, they tear off the cocoons and can carry them far into the steppe, spreading the spiders’ habitat.
From the moment the eggs are laid, small insects appear after about two weeks. However, they are in no hurry to leave the cocoon, as they are waiting for the onset of spring and warming. During the first time they are in the cocoon, they exist due to the accumulated nutritional components. Subsequently, they begin to eat each other, as a result of which we can say with confidence that the strongest individuals emerge from the cocoon in the spring.
The growth and development of spiders continues throughout the spring and summer period. During this period, each individual goes through 5 to 10 molts. The exact amount depends on the amount of food and gender. Females shed more than males.
Interesting fact: The body of the spider is covered with a chitinous shell, which limits the growth and development of the arthropod. During the molting process, the karakurt sheds its shell, replacing it with a new one, larger than the old one in size.
How to recognize a Black Widow bite
This spider injects its venom into its prey using its two front fangs, so close inspection reveals two tiny holes. Symptoms of a black widow bite: acute pain at the site of the bite, severe burning and numbness of the affected area.
Depending on the amount of venom injected, the person's age, health, and location of the bite, symptoms may vary. Common symptoms include headache, restlessness, weakness, possible nausea and vomiting, dizziness and sweating.
If you are bitten by Latrodectus mactans, the first thing you need to do is go to an ambulance or go to the hospital yourself. While you are waiting for help, you need to apply ice or something cold to the bitten area, this will reduce pain and swelling. If possible, take with you the spider that bit you; if it is dead, if it is alive, it is better not to catch it.
Antidote for Black Widow
To treat a bite, doctors use droppers with calcium gluconate and muscle relaxants; this is sufficient in most cases.
In serious cases, when there is a risk of death and it is not possible to transport the victim to the hospital, a special serum is used. But the use of serum is quite risky for the victim; it is practically not used for children under 16 years of age. Administration of the serum is possible only by a doctor and under his supervision, as urgent resuscitation may be required due to its allergic effect.
If you are bitten by a poisonous spider, always try to pick it up and put it in a jar. It will be easier for doctors to cure you, and treatment will be faster.
Natural enemies of the karakurt spider
Photo: Poisonous karakurt spider
Despite the fact that karakurts are considered one of the most dangerous creatures on earth, they have enemies in their natural habitat. The greatest danger to them is posed by herd ungulates, since in huge numbers they trample not only the arthropods themselves, but also their cocoons with eggs.
In addition to ungulates, the enemies of spiders are sphex wasps. They attack arthropods in a similar way. Wasps have a special gland that produces poison, which they inject into spiders, immobilizing them. After this, the insects quietly eat the black widow.
Another enemy of poisonous and dangerous arthropods are riders. They lay eggs in arthropod cocoons. Subsequently, the emerging larvae eat the small spiderlings. It should be noted that there are other enemies that are also capable of eating karakurts in large quantities. These are hedgehogs. They are absolutely not afraid of attacks from these insects, since they are reliably protected by their shell with needles.
Spiders are also theoretically eaten by some species of other spiders or arthropods. However, they must be very dexterous and agile in order to attack the black widow before she can inject her poison. However, this happens extremely rarely, since karakurts are very fast.
In some regions, the reduction in the number of karakurts is caused by human activities associated with the destruction of rodents, as well as the use of insecticides of chemical origin.
What does it eat?
In its natural habitat, arthropods hunt for small insects. To do this, the spider uses a trapping net stretched near the nest. The animal is characterized partially by external digestion. Poison is injected into the body of a victim entangled in a web, paralyzing the insect and gradually digesting the tissue inside the chitinous cover.
The spider bites the victim from all sides, leaving it unharmed for a while. It then sucks out the liquefied tissue, puncturing the protective coating. The empty chitinous shell remains hanging in the web for a long time.
Mosquitoes
Considering the small size of the spider, mosquitoes are quite suitable as objects for hunting. Insects fall into stretched nets, landing on the ground or grass, becoming victims of karakurts.
flies
The karakurt web can easily hold a fly. When the prey is securely entangled in the web, the spider begins to process the victim.
Cockroaches
Even such ancient species of insects are susceptible to successful attacks by karakurts. Like other victims, they are caught by spiders in a similar way - in the trapping web. The sharpness of the arthropod's jaws makes it easy to break through the chitinous coating to begin processing the victim.
How long does he live?
The maximum lifespan of the karakurt spider is up to five years. Considering the peculiarities of mating games of arthropods, females live significantly longer than males. But even female representatives are sometimes unable to survive the harsh winter. Therefore, these animals prefer warm climates.
But, given the high fertility and rapid development of offspring even in frosty winters, the population is successfully developing, increasing its numbers.
Karakurt cubs
The karakurt spider is called a black widow, since the female karakurt kills her husband after mating. But the black widow of the karakurt will not much outlive the eaten spouse, because with the onset of cold weather the female dies.
Karakurts become capable of reproducing at the beginning of summer and begin migrating in search of partners. With the onset of heat (July-August), females and males of karakurt arrange temporary mating networks. After which the female karakurt looks for a secluded place to set up a den, where she can place cocoons with eggs.
Such places often become various depressions in the soil, abandoned rodent holes, as well as drainage of ventilation systems. At the entrance to the lair, she stretches a chaotically intertwined web. The female karakurt hangs 2-4 cocoons in the den, where they will survive the winter.
In April, the karakurt cubs will leave their cocoons. With the onset of summer, mature karakurt cubs will go in search of partners. Despite the fact that the karakurt spider is very prolific and has a very strong poison, it still has enemies in nature. The enemies of the karakurt spider are hedgehogs, wasps and riders. It is also common for karakurt eggs to be destroyed by herds of sheep and pigs, who simply trample them.
Behavior in the wild
The animal is more often found in desert steppe areas. Favorite habitat is the slopes of ravines, ditches, arable lands, wastelands. The spider sets up its lair, preferring to use the features of the terrain, giving preference to:
- abandoned burrows of other animals;
- rock and earthen crevices;
- depressions in the soil.
The arthropod often settles in abandoned buildings, but sometimes it is found in utility rooms and penetrates residential buildings.
The animal avoids smooth and level terrain and areas with high humidity. Karakurt chooses uneven and rocky habitat.
Having made a nest, the spider weaves cocoons for its offspring, and a web is stretched nearby to catch prey. Unlike most domestic species of arthropods, whose network is made of concentric circles, in karakurt it looks different. The threads are parallel to the ground, without obvious visible symmetry of the structure.
The arthropod is highly fertile. Peaks of sharp increases in population numbers are observed with a certain frequency - every ten or twenty-five years.
Eggs are laid by the female from mid-summer. The spiderlings are born a week later. The offspring remains in a warm cocoon, which can protect against severe frosts, and spends the winter in it. With the onset of stable warmth, by mid-April, the wind carries the cubs around the area, along with the remains of the web. The young generation reaches sexual maturity in June, acquiring the ability to further reproduce.
Body size and structure
The body size of the animal depends on age and gender. Females are more than twice as large as males. The body size of an adult female is up to twenty millimeters, taking into account the scope of the limbs - up to thirty. The male's body size is up to seven millimeters.
Karakurt spider - description of body structure: the animal consists of the following parts:
- a rounded cephalothorax with eight eyes, located in pairs on the right and left sides, jaws for eating food and a mouth opening;
- spherical abdomen, to which four pairs of legs are attached. The spider breathes, like other representatives of the species, with lungs located in the abdomen and equipped with a separate entrance on the underside.
The glands that secrete the secretion that forms the web are also located in the lower part of the abdomen. Photos and descriptions of the karakurt spider are easy to find on our website.
Spiders should not be confused with insects, which differ significantly in structure and other features. Insects, unlike spiders, have three pairs of legs, and some species have wings. Another feature that characterizes the difference between these animals is the presence of compound eyes in insects, consisting of individual small fragments.
Interesting Facts
- The male black widow is significantly smaller than the female. It is not dangerous to humans as it produces only small amounts of poison. The claws on the male's chelicerae are too small to pierce human skin.
- Karakurts were successfully bred at the London Zoo, where males mated with females many times and remained alive.
- There is an opinion that a black widow always eats the male after mating, but this does not always happen. The emergence of such an assumption is due to the fact that after several matings the male becomes so weakened that he is often near death. At this time, he cannot escape from the female, and the female eats him.
- In Europe, there is a karakurt, called by the Italians mal-mignatta. The Italian name has been adopted into several other languages. A karakurt bite is not as dangerous and painful as the bites of tropical species of spiders, but the consequences are noticeable for up to 3 weeks.
Video
Sources
- https://thewildlife.ru/bespozvonochnye/pauk-chernaya-vdova/ https://www.popmech.ru/science/405802-za-chto-samka-pauka-chernaya-vdova-sedaet-samca/https:// stopvreditel.ru/yadovitye/pauki/chernaya-vdova.html https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_widow
