Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Black Widow by S.M. Kingdom BLACK WIDOW Featurette And Poster Tease One Of Marvel Studios' Most Action-Packed Movies To Date. Black Widow is now right around the corner, and Marvel Studios has released a new featurette and poster that see star Scarlett Johansson tease "some of the most intense fight scenes" ever seen in the MCU! With theaters opening - and seemingly staying that way - the excitement for Black Widow is starting to build, and it's clear we really will be able to once again experience the MCU on the big screen less than a month from now. The first reactions are also right around the corner, but we have even more fresh content from the Marvel Studios movie to keep you guys going in the meantime. A newly released featurette, titled "Ready Set Action," teases the epic action we can look forward to in Black Widow , with Scarlett Johannson stating that, "Black Widow is something that the Marvel Universe has never experienced before. The action in this film is real. You have these huge armored vehicles going through these iconic streets in Budapest." Another new poster has also found its way online, and this one is a ScreenX exclusive. "In Marvel Studios' Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises," reads the movie's synopsis. "Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger." In the movie, Scarlett Johansson reprises her role as Natasha/Black Widow, Florence Pugh stars as Yelena, David Harbour portrays Alexei/The Red Guardian, and Rachel Weisz is Melina. Black Widow is directed by Cate Shortland and produced by Kevin Feige; Black Widow - the first big screen story in Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - arrives on July 9th both in theaters and on Disney+. Check out the new featurette and poster below: Check out the ScreenX exclusive @MarvelStudios #BlackWidow poster and experience the movie in ScreenX on July 9! Classification. Latin Meaning: “Biting in secret” The spider got its name from the belief that the female consumes the male after mating thus making her a widow, the black part comes from the black color of the spiders body. Species- Latrodectus sp. Figure 1. Female Black Widow Spider. Latrodectus sp. is part of the Eukarya domain because it is multi-cellular. It is a part of the Animalia kingdom because the black widow spider has tissues and is heterotrophic. It is part of the Arthropoda phylum because of its segmented body and jointed exoskeleton. The black widow spider is part of the Arachnida class due to the cephalothorax and abdomen. It is in the Araneae order because of its external segmentation and respiratory system of book lungs or tracheae. The black widow spider is part of the Theridiidae family because it uses sticky capture silk to build its webs rather than woolly silk. It is the in the Latrodectus genus because of the neurotoxin latrotoxin that the females uses to bite and prey on insects and male black widow spiders. There are 32 species of Latrodectus sp. and the three main ones in North America are L. mactans, L. hesperus , and L. variolus. Avengers: Endgame theory solves a big mystery about Black Widow's death. Black Widow met an untimely and tragic end halfway through Avengers: Endgame , sacrificing herself on Vormir so that Hawkeye could retrieve the Soul Stone. Hulk later volunteered to wear the Infinity Gauntlet to counteract the effects of Thanos’ snap, but was unable to bring Natasha back. In addition to bringing back the dusted, Hulk also attempted to resurrect Black Widow. However, he was positive she wasn’t among the revived afterwards. A thoughtful new theory suggests that Hulk's certainty on the matter stemmed from having glimpsed her inside the Soul Stone. The inner workings of the Soul Stone and its mysterious red world remains a mystery. What we do know about it is based on two specific events in the MCU. During Infinity War , Thanos was sent to the world inside the Soul Stone immediately following the snap that dusted half of the world’s population. While there, he saw the person he loved the most, a young Gamora. A deleted Endgame scene, called “Directors Commentary: Tony at The Way Station,” confirms the same thing happened to Iron Man. Following his Infinity Gauntlet snap, Tony entered the Soul Stone and briefly conversed with daughter Morgan, who all but confirms his death. With that in mind, we can assume that Black Widow's inside the world of the Soul Stone, too. Reddit user Crispworthy suggests Hulk actually experienced the same Soul Stone trip and came face-to-face with the deceased Natasha. If we’re to assume the Soul Stone only allows interaction between those who shared a close bond, it makes perfect sense that Hulk saw his former teammate. After all, he and Black Widow have a long history. They shared a brief romantic connection and she was the first to recruit him to join the Avengers. Hulk was devastated by her death, visibly angry to the point that he threw a bench off a pier. The theory would also explain why Hulk was positive Black Widow didn’t return with the others, even though no one ever checked Vormir. It’s possible that Hulk tried to convince Natasha to return to the land of the living and she refused. Conversely, she may have been unable to leave the Soul Stone because her sacrifice was permanent. Either way, Hulk definitely wanted to revive Black Widow at the time he wielded the Infinity Gauntlet, so it’s highly likely that she would be the one to greet him in the aftermath of his snap. Unfortunately, Endgame didn’t offer much in the way of closure following Black Widow’s death, marking her passing with only a brief scene between the remaining team members before quickly moving on. A Soul Stone scene between the Hulk and Black Widow would have been a more fitting tribute to her sacrifice. We may never know what Hulk actually saw, if anything at all, but the idea that he had one final conversation with Black Widow is a satisfying one. Avengers: Endgame is currently streaming on Disney+. Black Widow Spider. Click through all of our Black Widow Spider images in the gallery. “Only the Bites of Female Black Widow Spiders Are Dangerous” Their reputations are fierce, but in reality, black widow spiders — aka Latrodectus — are calm, loner pacifists that only unleash venomous bites when they’ve exhausted all other defensive options. Thirty-two species of the infamous arachnids populate the Earth on every continent except Antarctica, and the genus probably popped onto the world scene about 300 million years ago. Female black widows carry large loads of venom, but males don’t. And though it’s widely believed that all females eat their mates after breeding, such behavior is rare and only happens in lab environments where there’s no escape. Incredible Black Widow Spider Facts! The strength of black widows’ webs are comparatively stronger than steel! Scientists actively study the spider’s weaving silks in the hopes of replicating it for infrastructure projects, like bridges! At first glance, spiders in the genus Steatoda resemble widow spiders, which is how they got the nickname “false widow spiders.” Steatoda bites aren’t pleasant, but they’re not as destructive as black widow bites. Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is the most deadly of all 32 widow species. Black widow spiders don’t live long lives. Males typically expire in months, and only a smattering of lucky females make it to the ripe old age of three. Black Widow Spider Scientific Name. Latrodectus is the scientific name for widow spiders. A portmanteau combining the New Latin word “latro,” meaning “bandit,” and the Ancient Greek word “dēktēs,” meaning “biter,” it was coined by French nobleman Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer in the early 1800s. Colloquially, the name translates to “bandit who bites.” There are 32 recognized species in the “true widow” genus. In North America, three species — Latrodectus mactans, Latrodectus hesperus, and Latrodectus variolus — are informally known as southern black widows, western black widows, and northern black widows, respectively. Latrodectus tredecimguttatus is the European black widow; Latrodectus hasseltii crawls throughout Australia and known as the redback black widow; in South America, two species — Latrodectus corallinus and Latrodectus curacaviensis — are commonly called South American black widow spiders. Scientific Name Taxonomy Origin Date Regions Latrodectus antheratus 1932 Paraguay, Argentina Latrodectus apicalis 1877 Galapagos Islands Latrodectus bishopi 1938 USA Latrodectus cinctus 1865 Cape Verde, Africa, Kuwait, Iran Latrodectus corallinus 1980 Argentina Latrodectus curacaviensis 1776 Lesser Antilles, South America Latrodectus dahli 1959 Morocco to Central Asia Latrodectus diaguita 1960 Argentina Latrodectus elegans 1898 India, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Japan Latrodectus erythromelas 1991 India, Sri Lanka Latrodectus geometricus 1841 Africa, Introduced to North America and South America, Poland, Middle East, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Hawaii Latrodectus hasselti 1870 India, Southeast Asia to Australia, New Zealand Latrodectus hesperus 1935 North America, Introduced to Israel, Korea Latrodectus hystrix 1890 Yemen Latrodectus indistinctus 1904 Namibia, South Africa Latrodectus karrooensis 1944 South Africa Latrodectus katipo 1871 New Zealand Latrodectus lilianae 2000 Spain, Algeria Latrodectus mactans 1775 Probably native to North America only, Introduced to South America, Asia Latrodectus menavodi 1863 Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles Latrodectus mirabilis 1876 Argentina Latrodectus obscurior 1902 Cape Verde, Madagascar Latrodectus pallidus 1872 Cape Verde to Libya, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia Latrodectus quartus 1980 Argentina Latrodectus renivulvatus 1902 Africa, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq Latrodectus revivensis 1948 Israel Latrodectus rhodesiensis 1972 Southern Africa Latrodectus thoracicus 1849 Chile Latrodectus tredecimguttatus 1790 Mediterranean to China Latrodectus umbukwane 2019 South Africa Latrodectus variegatus 1849 Chile, Argentina Latrodectus variolus 1837 USA, Canada The distribution of the different Black Widow spider species. Black Widow Spider Appearance and Behavior. Nearly all black widow spiders are about 1.5 inches long, weigh approximately 0.035 ounces, and have dark-colored, hourglass-shaped bodies accented with white, brown, or red markings. Like most web-weaving spiders, widows have terrible eyesight and rely on vibrations to sense prey and danger. Unlike the Goliath birdeater (Theraphosa blondi) , the world’s largest spider, black widows are tiny — about the size of a paperclip. But don’t let their compact bodies fool you — because widows pack dangerous loads! Their bites release a neurotoxin called latrotoxin, which can cause extreme pain, muscle rigidity, vomiting, and heavy sweating. People bitten by black widow spiders may experience these symptoms for up to a week. But it’s false that widow bites routinely result in human fatalities. They do, however, kill cats and dogs. In the black widow world, only females do damage. Males of the species don’t carry enough venom to harm. Widow spiders are notorious for female sexual cannibalism — meaning the ladies eat their gents after mating. But what people may not understand is that it doesn’t happen all that often, and not all widow species engage in the practice. So why do some Latrodectus ladies murder their mates? Nobody knows for sure, but a popular theory postulates that the act increases the odds of offspring survival. Additionally, thanks to special chemicals that emanate from webs after meals, males can sense when females are well-fed, and most don’t choose hungry mates. In fact, most males who fall prey to their partners are trapped in a laboratory environment and can’t escape. Black Widow Spider Habitat. Widow spiders crawl around every continent except Antarctica. They’re particularly abundant in North America, especially in Canada’s wine country, the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Typically, black widow spiders spin webs near the ground or in dark, low places. Inside, you’ll most likely find them in dark corners under desks, basements, and attics. Outside, they hunker in holes and wood piles. Black Widow Spider Diet. What do black widow spiders eat? They prey on small insects like flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. How do black widows catch food? Like most other spider species, black widows weave sticky webs of silken fibers. When waiting for food to stumble into their lairs, widow spiders hang upside in the middle of their nets. When a victim crashes in, they’re incapacitated by the web’s stickiness. At that point, the spider converges, paralyzes the prey with venom, and then wraps its meal in silk to further prevent escape. When a black widow is ready to dine, it covers its prey in erosive digestive juices and slurps up the remains. If a widow senses danger, it will quickly crawl down a loose web thread and scurry to safety. Black Widow Spider Predators and Threats. Few animals prey on black widow spiders because of the insects’ body shapes and markings, which scientists believe send unpleasant signals that repel most animals. But rules come with exceptions, and in this case, the three are praying mantises (Mantodea) , alligator lizards (Anguidae) , and blue mud wasps (Chalybion californicum), which use their stingers to paralyze before chowing down. Humans also pose a threat to black widow spiders because we accidentally crush them and purposefully kill them when stumbling upon the species at home. Black Widow Spider Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan. Widow spiders are solitary animals that only come together in late spring for mating season. During the yearly ritual, males and females partner up, and the former injects the latter with sperm. The ladies then fertilize their eggs internally and lay silken egg sacs. The sac incubates for about 30 days, at which point a pod of self-sufficient spiderlings hatch. The moment they’re born, baby spiders scurry away from the nest. The wind often helps them along, and most find themselves far away from home within hours of birth. But a black widow’s life isn’t long. Many die before they reach a month old, and few — mostly females — make it to three years old. Black Widow Spider Population. Black widow spiders aren’t in danger currently. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature doesn’t even include the animal on its Red List. IUCN does list false widow spiders, but only under the Data Deficient section. Black Widow Spiders In U.S Zoos. Black widow spiders live in hundreds of exhibits and labs around the world. Here’s a partial list of U.S. zoos that care for individuals from the genus: Black Widow Spider FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) Are black widow spiders herbivores, carnivores, or omnivores? Widows eat other insects, which makes them carnivores. Are Black Widow Spiders Dangerous to Humans? In one sense, yes, they are. Female black widows carry heavy venom loads that sometimes cause illness and prolonged pain. On average, about 2,200 venomous black widow spiders bite people in the United States yearly, but the vast majority of attacks don’t result in hospitalization. In fact, no black-widow-related deaths have been reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers since 1983. Male widow spiders don’t pose a threat because they’re not poisonous. Moreover, most female bites are “dry bites,” meaning they don’t contain venom. Can Black Widow Spiders Kill You? Theoretically, yes, black widow spiders can kill — and have killed — humans! But you’re more likely to win the lottery than die from a black widow attack! However, exercise more caution in the Meditteranean, home of the Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, the most deadly black widow species of all. Where Are Black Widow Spiders Found? Globally speaking, species of the spider crawl around every continent except Antarctica. Locally speaking, black widow spiders tend to weave webs in undisturbed, dark areas, including wood piles, basements, and in the corners of seldom-used cabinets and furniture. How Do You Kill a Black Widow Spider? Black widow spiders can be eliminated in several ways. To keep them from moving in, vacuum and dust regularly — even the basement and attic. Neglected woodpiles are like catnip to black widows, so clean them off weekly! Widow spiders smell through their feet and are repulsed by the scent of lemon, eucalyptus, tea tree oil, and peppermint. As such, if you’re on a mission to repel the spiders, use cleaning products infused with those aromas! If a widow has already spun a web, aerosol and powdered pesticides sprayed or sprinkled directly on the spider or nest will kill it. Vinegar is an effective natural option. But natural doesn’t mean humane. Vinegar works because its acidity burns widows on contact — and that’s not a pleasant way to go, whether you’re a human or an insect. For a less violent solution, make a home-made black widow repellent by combining equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Mist the corners of all your rooms and cabinets with the substance to keep the buggers at bay! How Often Do Black Widow Spiders Bite? Despite their ferocious reputations, black widow spiders aren’t big biters. When feasible, they prefer to avoid conflict and play dead. Their second-best defensive option is flicking silk at a threat. But when they’re trapped and have nowhere else to turn, they will attack. Male strikes are harmless because they don’t carry much venom. But a female bite can lead to a few uncomfortable hours for humans, and maybe death for dogs and cats. What Kingdom do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the Kingdom Animalia. What phylum do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the phylum Arthropoda. What class do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the class Arachnida. What family do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the family Theridiidae. What order do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the order Araneae. What genus do Black Widow Spiders belong to? Black Widow Spiders belong to the genus Latrodectus. What is the main prey for Black Widow Spiders? Black Widow Spiders prey on insects, woodlice, and beetles. What are some predators of Black Widow Spiders? Predators of Black Widow Spiders include wasps, birds, and small mammals. What are some distinguishing features of Black Widow Spiders? 8 Facts About the Black Widow Spider. Black widow spiders are more than just their iconic appearance and venomous bite. Georgia State University Young Harris College. Treehugger / Julie Bang. Share Twitter Pinterest Email. Insects Planting Guides Indoor Gardening Urban Farms. Mention the black widow spider and you'll likely be greeted with a few frantic glances and exclamations of "What?! Where?!" The black widow, however, isn't as dangerous or as one-dimensional a creature as popular culture suggests. It certainly has a venomous bite, but it also has an incredibly strong web and an odd courting ritual in which male spiders become homewreckers. 1. Widow Spiders Are More than Just Black. Belonging to the genus Latrodectus, widow spiders encompass 31 known species that exist on every continent in the world except Antarctica. While the three species common in North America — southern (L. mactans), western (L. hesperus), and northern (L. variolus) — are black, other species are a light to dark brown, like the appropriately named brown widow spider (L. geometricus). Some widow species — but not all of them — have a distinct red marking on their abdomen. In black widows, that often takes the form of a red or orange hourglass shape, which contrasts sharply with their otherwise black body. The shape can vary among individuals, though, and it doesn't always closely resemble an hourglass. 2. Female Black Widow Spiders' Venom Is Potent but Rarely Deadly. The venom of the black widow is decidedly potent, rated about 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake, but a bite is not usually deadly. The spider's bite will bring on muscle pain along with a variety of other symptoms, including trouble breathing, nausea, and numbness around the bite site. These symptoms can become severe — especially for small children or people with a weakened immune system — but in most cases a black widow bite is not life-threatening. Only female black widows will envenomate a human since only their chelicerae — the hollow, needle-like mouth part — is long enough to inject the venom into humans. Additionally, black widow spiders are unlikely to bite you in low-threatening situations, and they may not even use their venom if they do bite you. Whenever possible, they'd almost always prefer to escape than confront a creature as big as us. 3. Black Widows Don't Often Eat Their Mates. Aside from their distinct appearance and venomous bite, the thing female black widows spiders are best known for is killing their mates and devouring them after sex. This trait is so commonly associated with the spiders that the phrase "black widow" is also sometimes used to refer to a human woman who has killed her partner or lover. This reputation for killing, however, is generally undeserved. Mate eating has never been recorded in the wild for most North American species, according to the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture in Seattle; it has only been observed in lab settings where the male couldn't escape. This doesn't mean it doesn't happen with other members of the genus, but it isn't the norm. 4. Male Black Widows Do Their Best to Avoid Being Eaten. Despite the fact that sexual cannibalism is fairly rare among the black widows, males do try their best to not become a post-coital snack. A 2014 study published in Animal Behavior found that male black widows seek out well-fed virgins for mating. In both controlled field studies and in the wild, researchers observed that males prefer such females, telling them apart from other females due to pheromones they release. In addition to avoiding being devoured by hungry females, researchers believe the males seek a more robust female to increase the chances of fathering healthier and more numerous offspring. Male black widows will also send out vibrations on a female's web to indicate they are there for mating and not eating. According to a 2014 study published in Frontiers in Zoology, the web plucks performed by males differ significantly from those generated by prey stuck in a web. When researchers played these vibrations back to female black widows, the spiders were less likely to provide a predatory response than when the researchers played back prey vibrations. 5. Male Black Widows Are Literal Homewreckers. As in much of the animal kingdom, competition for mating can be fierce, so males often resort to all kinds of tactics to ensure their genes are the ones carried on. In the case of the western black widow, this apparently involves destroying a female's web. Black widows' webs tend to be messy and tangled, unlike the orderly webs created by some other types of spiders, and when they're ready to mate, females deposit pheromones onto the webs. Males will destroy the web, reducing the females' pheromones and making the web less attractive to other males. For their part, females don't seem to mind the destruction of their property. Researchers believe this is because it cuts down on the potential harassment they experience during mating periods. Indeed, the web reduction even seems to make the females more receptive to mating. 6. The Webs of Black Widow Spiders Are Incredibly Strong. Spider silk has an array of amazing properties. On a per-weight basis, for example, it can be five times stronger than steel. Black widows' web silk particularly is known for its strength, so much so that researchers are striving to replicate its powers in synthetic materials. Attempts to do so have not yielded materials with the same strength or properties, although a 2018 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may have remedied this issue. Using state-of-the-art imaging techniques, researchers took a closer look than ever before at the protein gland where the web silk is created. There, they discovered a more complex protein-assembly process. Being able to synthetically replicate this process could result in stronger materials for bridges, better materials for plastics, and more durable fabrics for military personnel and athletes. 7. Black Widows Are Not House Spiders. Although black widows belong to a group known as "cobweb spiders" (due to their habit of building irregular webs), they are unlikely to be responsible for the cobwebs you find in your house. Some spider species have adapted to share habitats with humans, but black widows are generally not among them. Their preferred habitats are outdoors, in places like vegetation, hollow tree stumps, abandoned rodent burrows, and piles of wood or rocks, although they do sometimes end up in outhouses, garages, or basements. Research has found that black widows can be beneficial for humans, by helping to control pest populations like red imported fire ants and harvester ants, but that still may not be quite enough to offset their frightening reputations for many people. 8. Black Widow Spiders Are Heading North. As climates increasingly shift and change across much of their range, the distribution of the northern black widow is expanding into what used to be prohibitively cold habitats. Outlined in a 2018 PLOS One article, Canadian researchers, relying on citizen science data, found that the northernmost range of the species has increased by some 31 miles (50 kilometers) between 1960 and 2016, creeping into eastern Ontario and Quebec.