The most common species of black widow spider in North America is Latrodectus mactans, which is a shiny black color. On its abdomen, which has a bulbous shape, you'll notice bright red or orange ...

Nicholas Brandley didn’t think so, and embraced the study of black widow spiders ... involving the spider’s prey. Had evolution finessed the spiders’ color scheme to warn off birds ...

Fortunately, fatalities are fairly rare; the spiders are nonaggressive and bite only in self-defense, such as when someone accidentally sits on them. The animals most at risk from the black widow' ...