caught me a BIG black widow...zesty!

[edesign]

Was on my way to wash some clothes in the apt's washroom and i was standin outside talkin to a friend on the phone when I noticed what i thought was a berry or something hanging below a guy wire coming off a telephone pole. Looked closer and said, "DAAANG" (well, not exactly )..."dude, how big do black widows get?" of course, he didn't know but i have never seen one this big...can't get a tape measure next to it but it's about an 1.5" with the legs extended. One site I found said size is from 1-1.5", so I'm assuming it's on the larger side

Not gonna keep it...just wanted to catch it and take a few pictures, maybe watch it for a couple days and then let it go, somewhere away from the apartment complex. I'll post some pics whenever i give my friend's camera back so he can download all the pics for me. Oddly enough, my gf didn't have anything negative to say when i told her lol, guess she's finally accepted the fact that i'm a lil "nuts"...

 

[guesskatiejules]

Well, we've all accepted the fact that you're a little "nuts"! (joking).

Try to get those pics for us...I've never seen a black widow as big as you've described...they're usually a little smaller, aren't they?

A giant black widow...further proof that the apocalypse is upon us!

 

[edesign]

i'm not nuts...a lil crazy, but not nuts...

just spoke with my friend, he's gonna come by tomorrow night with the USB cable so i can DL the pics to my hard drive (my B. jacksoni pics too!)...i'll post em soon as i get a chance.

 

[guesskatiejules]

Great! I'm definitely looking forward to those pics!

 

[Kugellager]

Size is going to be somewhat dependant on the species as well as how lucky it was in finding food as it was growing.

Most of my L.hesperus are in the 1.25(3cm) size range. Half of them I raised from sling the rest were wild caught.

John
];')

 

[Stagger-Lee]

ive seen wild hesperus that reached 2" they are very few and far between but do exist, 1.5" IS big and i really dont see many of them either in the wild and ive collected 1000s over they years.

 

[edesign]

2"?!?!? that is truly huge...

taking pics of mine was smoother than i thought...was a bit nervous opening the lid of the jar as it was hanging just beneath the bottom of the lid. Didn't really move much during the whole unscrewing process...got some good pics (i hope) of the underside and next to a ruler of sorts (drafting thing with centimeters marked on the side), as well as my finger (a bit above and to the side). And some other shots of the top/side...hope the glare from the flash isn't too bad. Never used my friend's camera before so i don't know how it does with different lighting conditions and distances. It's got macro shots on it, but i have no way of telling how well i did lol

anyway...think i'll feed it one of the smaller crickets i bought earlier for the scorps and the T make it's night a lil nicer!

 

[edesign]

also...if anyone has a link to an old bite report from a female L. mactans that i can't find for the life of me through Google it'd be much appreciated. I think it was published in the early 1900's, maybe mid 1900's, by a researcher (informal report) who intentionally made a female widow bite him. I found it a while back and didn't bookmark it, can't even remember what i was looking for at the time...

it was a bit more excruciating than he was planning on iirc...ended up sitting in the tub and having horrible cramps for a long time, as well as other normal symptoms of widow neurotoxins.

 

[TroyMcClureOG82]

I have some two inch hesperus ;P

 

[edesign]

finally posting pics...last picture with the funky measuring thing is in centimeters, easily at least 5cm+, maybe closer to 6 if it were to fully extend the rear legs

 

[Tarangela]

NICE pics!

I have one right now, that started out small, it has molted once, and I hope to get it as large as the one you have pics of!

VERY cool

 

[edesign]

just feed it lots of small, tasty children...i'm guessing that's what this one did since i don't see any little kids around the apartment complex much anymore lol

i said i was gonna let it go far away...but this is a week later and i still have the darn thing in a jar and have been feeding it a ocuple small crickets lol.

 

[Tarantula]

all my larger widows (hesperus and variolus) are around 2"...

 

[shadowkat]

sigh I wish I could be so lucky.. or skilled

 

[El Johano]

I have raised lot's of widows and 5 cm females are not common. This is my largest L. hesperus female (her abdomen is not that brown, that's caused by the flash).

 

[El Johano]

Hmmm, the picture got darker when I posted it...

 

[swatc1h]

My L. hesperus female nothing compared to yourz mys pretty fatt n wrinkled behind her belly back, i'm still waiting for a eggsac to be laid. :}