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Evolution of a Black Widow Spider

The evolution of a black widow spider begins with an elaborate mating process, wherein a nomadic male chances upon a female in the process of webbing. The male approaches the female while transmitting vibratory signals through the female's web. Receptive females remain stationary while males complete insemination. In controlled environments such as laboratories, female black widows then consume their mating partners. This cannibalistic behavior occurs to fill the female's need to collect nutrients in order to fertilize eggs.

Females then lay their eggs in inverted, silken cups. Hundreds of eggs may reside within one such cup, which the female then seals with silk in order to form a sac. Fertilized spider eggs undergo one molt within the egg sac and emerge within approximately one month as spiderlings. In laboratory conditions, the development of the black widow spider from egg to maturity spans approximately four months. In the wild, the development from egg to adult often takes nearly a year.

Baby Black Widow Spider

Black Widow Spider Eggs

Life Cycle of Black Widow Spiders