How big are black widows?
Black widows are spiders with body lengths of about 0.1 in (2.5 mm) to 0.39 in (10 mm), which would make them tiny if their bodies were the size of a golf ball.
However, considering how small they are, they have quite large fangs.
Their fangs can grow up to be almost as long as their body, and their web’s thickness is almost the same as a pencil.
The black widow spider has a leg span that is as big as the size of an adult human’s palm. In some cases, female black widows can even have a body length as long as 0.5 in (12 mm).
What Do Black Widow Fangs Do?
Due to their smaller body size, the black widow spider’s fangs are much shorter than a big tarantula’s fangs, but they can contain a toxin that is strong enough to have an effect on the human nervous system.
This neurotoxin is strong enough to kill a full-grown adult if it bites it seven times within a span of 24 hours.
However, it is very vital to know that these spiders are docile and would rather retreat than fight humans.
Black widows aren’t capable of spinning the huge webs seen in some other types of spiders due to their smaller size, but they can make a web with a thickness almost as thick as a pencil’s lead using their own liquid silk.
Black widows’ fangs can be as long as their bodies, making them one of the largest spiders in terms of fang size.
Final Thoughts
Most black widow spiders are around 0.4 in (10 mm) long.
The species with the largest body size is the female tropical black widow, which can have a body size of up to 0.39 in (9 mm).
The average measurements for a female black widow spider’s leg span and fang length would be about 1.18 in (30 mm) for a leg span and 0.054 in (1.39 mm) for fang length.
The largest measurements recorded were 1.36 in (34 mm) for a leg span and 0.079 in (2 mm) for fang length.
Female black widow spiders can have body lengths up to 0.5 in (12 mm), which would make their bodies almost as long as an adult human’s palm.
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