10 Fascinating Things About Black Widow Spiders

10 Fascinating Things About Black Widow Spiders Black widow spiders are feared for their potent venom, and rightfully so, to some degree. But much of what you think is true about the black widow is probably more myth than fact. Interesting Things About Black Widow Spiders These 10 fascinating facts about black widow spiders will teach you how to identify them, how they behave, and how to minimize your risk of being bitten. Widow spiders arent always black When most people talk about the black widow spider, they likely think theyre referring to a particular spider species. But in the U.S. alone, there are three different kinds of black widows (northern, southern, and western). And although we tend to refer to all members of the genus Lactrodectus as black widows, widow spiders arent always black. There are 31 species of Lactrodectus spiders worldwide. In the U.S., these include a brown widow and a red widow. Only adult female black widows inflict dangerous bites Female widow spiders are larger than males. It is believed, therefore, that female black widows can penetrate vertebrate skin more effectively than males and inject more venom when they bite. Nearly all medically significant black widow bites are inflicted by female spiders. Male widow spiders and spiderlings are rarely a cause for concern, and some experts even say they dont bite. Black widow females rarely eat their mates Lactrodectus spiders are widely thought to practice sexual cannibalism, where the smaller male is sacrificed after mating. In fact, this belief is so widespread the term black widow has become synonymous for femme fatale, a kind of seductress who lures men with the intention of bringing harm to them. But studies show that such behavior is actually quite rare in widow spiders in the wild, and even uncommon among captive spiders. Sexual cannibalism is actually practiced by quite a few insects and spiders and is not unique to the often maligned black widow. Most (but not all) widow spiders can be identified by a red hourglass marking Nearly all black widow females bear a distinct hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of the abdomen. In most species, the hourglass is bright red or orange, in sharp contrast to its shiny black abdomen. The hourglass may be incomplete, with a break in the middle, in certain species like the northern black widow (Lactrodectus variolus). However, the red widow, Lactrodectus bishopi, does not have an hourglass marking, so be mindful that not all widow spiders are identified by this feature. Black widow spiderlings look nothing like the black and red spiders we recognize as black widows Widow spider nymphs are mostly white when they hatch from the egg sac. As they undergo successive molts, the spiderlings gradually darken in color, from tan to gray, usually with white or beige markings. Female spiderlings take longer to reach maturity than their brothers but eventually turn dark black and red. So that drab, pale little spider you found just might be a widow spider, albeit an immature one. Black widows make cobwebs Black widow spiders belong to the spider family Theridiidae, commonly called the cobweb spiders. These spiders, black widows included, construct sticky, irregular silk webs to ensnare their prey. Members of this spider family are also referred to as comb-foot spiders because they have a row of bristles on their back legs to help them wrap silk around their prey. But no need to worry. Although they are closely related to the house spiders building cobwebs in the corners of your home, black widows rarely come indoors. Female black widows have poor eyesight Black widows rely on their silk webs to see whats going on around them because they cant see very well. The black widow female usually hides in a hole or crevice and builds her web as an extension of her hiding spot. From the safety of her retreat, she can feel the vibrations of her web when either prey or predator comes in contact with the silk threads. Male widow spiders looking for mates use this to their advantage. The male black widow will cut and rearrange the females web, making it difficult for her to sense whats happening, before carefully approaching her to mate. Black widow venom is 15 times as toxic as that of the prairie rattlesnake Widow spiders do pack a powerful punch of neurotoxins in their venom. By volume, Lactrodectus venom is an extremely toxic mix of poisons capable of causing muscle cramps, severe pain, hypertension, weakness and sweating in bite victims. But black widow spiders are significantly smaller than rattlesnakes, and theyre built for subduing other small invertebrates, not large mammals like people. When a black widow spider bites a person, the volume of neurotoxins injected in the victim is small.   Black widow spider bites are rarely fatal Although black widow bites can be painful and require medical treatment, they are very rarely fatal.   In fact, the majority of black widow bites cause only mild symptoms, and many bite victims dont even realize they were bitten. In a review of over 23,000 documented Lactrodectus envenomation cases that occurred in the U.S. from 2000 to 2008, the study authors noted that not a single death occurred as a result of a black widow bite. Only 1.4% of bite victims suffered major effects of black widow venom. Before the invention of indoor plumbing, most black widow bites occurred in outhouses Black widows dont often invade homes, but they do like to inhabit human-built structures like sheds, barns, and outhouses. And unfortunately for those who lived before the water closet was commonplace, black widows like to retreat under the seats of outdoor privies, perhaps because the smell attracts so many delicious flies for them to catch. Men who use pit toilets should be aware of this disturbing little factoid – most black widow bites are inflicted on penises, thanks to their tendency to dangle threateningly into the black widows territory beneath the seat. A 1944 case study published in the Annals of Surgery noted that, of 24 black widow bite cases reviewed, eleven bites were on the penis, one was on the scrotum, and four were on the buttocks. A full 16 of the 24 victims were bitten while sitting on the toilet. Sources Physicians Guide to Arthropods of Medical Significance, 6th edition, by Jerome Stoddard.Bugs Rule! An Introduction to the World of Insects, by Whitey Cranshaw and Richard Redak.The Black Widow Spider, by Karen M. Vail, Carl Jones, and Harry Williams, University of Tennessee. Accessed online August 12, 2015.Black Widow Spider, Occupational Safety and Health Administration fact sheet, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed online August 12, 2015.Black Widow Spider, North Carolina State University. Accessed online August 12, 2015.Black Widow and Other Widow Spiders, University fo California IPM Program. Accessed online August 12, 2015.The Black Widow, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Accessed online August 12, 2015.Genus Lactrodectus – Widow Spiders, Bugguide.net. Accessed online August 12, 2015.The Treatment of Black Widow Spider Envenomation with Antivenin Latrodectus Mactans: A Case Series, by S. R. Offerman, G. P. Daubert, and R. F. Clark. The Permanente Journal,  15(3), 7 6–81 (2011). Accessed online August 12, 2015. A US Perspective of SymptomaticLatrodectus  spp. Envenomation and Treatment: A National Poison Data System Review, by Andrew A. Monte, Becki Bucher-Bartelson, and Kennon J. Heard. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 45(12), 1491-1498 (December 2011). Accessed online August 12, 2015.Black Widow Spider Bite, by H. T. Kirby-Smith.  Annals of Surgery, 115(2), 249–257 (1942).

Using Para in Spanish With an Infinitive

Using Para in Spanish With an Infinitive See how para is used twice in this selection. First paragraph of a news story: 349 euros. No hay un smartphone similar por ese precio. Para encontrar algo de tal calidad hay que pagar 300 euros ms. Es el nuevo smartphone de Google, que fabrica la surcoreana LG, y que, para ahorrar costes en intermediarios, solo se vende en la tienda de internet Google Play y sin planes de operadoras de por medio. Se llama Nexus 5. Source: Spanish newspaper El Paà ­s, dateline Nov. 1, 2013. Suggested translation: 349 euros. There is not one similar smartphone for that price. To find something of such quality it is necessary to pay 300 euros more. Its the brand-new Google smartphone, manufactured by South Korean LG. To save on middleman costs, it is sold only at the Google Play Internet store and not through phone carriers plans. It is called the Nexus 5. Key Grammatical Issue The preposition para is usually used to indicate purpose. When followed by an infinitive, as it is here both times, para often means in order to. However, in English, in order, when it precedes the to form of the verb, can almost always be omitted without any change in meaning. In this selection, para encontrar could have been translated as in order to find, and para ahorrar could have been translated as in order to save. This translation, in the interests of brevity, left out both cases of in order because it is implied in English. When translating to Spanish, however, the para is not optional. To say I eat to live, for example, you would use Como para vivir. Como vivir simply would make no sense. Here are brief examples of this phenomenon: Tomà ³ una pastilla para dormirse. He took a pill (in order) to fall asleep.Necesito un tenedor para comer. I need a fork (in order) to eat.Para estudiar vamos a la biblioteca. (In order) to study, we are going to the library.Estamos listos para salir. We are ready (in order) to leave. In some contexts, although not here, para infinitive can better be translated as for -ing verb form. For example, Es un libro para leer could be translated as It is a book for reading. Other Notes on Vocabulary and Grammar Smartphone was italicized in the original, indicating that it is viewed as a foreign or unusual word rather than standard Spanish. Such a device is also known as a telà ©fono inteligente, although smartphone (pronounced much as in English) is quite common.Hay is the typical way of saying there is or there are. However, the phrase hay que usually means it is necessary to or it is necessary that. Hay is a form of the verb haber.The preposition por is usually used when saying that something is sold for a certain price.Ese is a demonstrative adjective usually meaning that.Tal followed by a noun is a common way of saying such or this kind of.Que fabrica la surcoreana LG is an example of an inverted word order. Fabrica, a conjugated form of fabricar (to manufacture), is the verb for subject LG. The translation used manufactured by the South Korean LG rather than the literal which the South Korean LG manufactures because the former sounded more natural.The long sentence beginning with Es e l nuevo has been divided into two sentences in the translation because a single sentence in English here would have been cumbersome. Nuevo means new. By placing it before the noun, smartphone, the writer gave nuevo extra emphasis, which brand-new also does.In traditional Spanish, solo would have been spelled with an orthographic accent: sà ³lo. Under modern rules, however, the accent is optional.Se vende is an example of a reflexive verb.Internet can be written correctly in Spanish with or without the initial letter capitalized.Sin is the preposition for without.De por medio is a phrase that usually means in between. The emphasis here, which does not come across as strongly in the translation, is that the phone carriers charges, if the phones were sold by them, would come in between Google and the customer, thus increasing the costs.Although dictionaries dont list operadora as having a different meaning than operador except when it applies to a female operator (that is, a female who operates something), it appears to be fairly common to refer to a telephone company using the feminine noun operadora rather than th e masculine form used for many other types of businesses. The longer-term operador de telefonà ­a is also sometimes used. Llamarse is usually used when telling what something or someone is named.