An in-depth look at the history and biology of Latrodectus hesperus, the Western Black Widow. I examine the venom, the bite, the life history, and the story of humanity's research into this iconic spider, how we learned what we know, and what we still don't know.
Unless otherwise credited, all photos and footage are my own.
0:00 Introduction
1:50 History and Reputation
4:00 Description and Identification
10:15 Habitat
11:10 A Widow's Web
15:45 How They Attack
19:20 The Venom
28:02 How They Use Venom
42:40 The Bite in Humans
56:50 The Bite in Pets
57:56 Mating and Reproduction
1:11:21 Enemies
1:16:45 What We Can Learn from Widows
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