This Is What Happens When You’re Bitten By A Black Widow Spider

The black widow spider is famed for its sexual cannibalism, whereby the female eats the male after having sex. Nature can be bloody brutal sometimes.

They're also extremely dangerous if you happen to be bitten by one. You can identify them by their all black body, except for a small patch of red on the underside of its belly, but I highly doubt you're going to be picking that thing up to double check.

Unfortunately for us humans, the spider is found on every continent, except Antarctica and its venom is 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake. Great. But the one thing on our side is that only the female can bite us. But again, I doubt anyone will be looking at it close enough to double check.

If you do find yourself on the problematic side of being bitten, here's a rundown of what will happen if you don't get some anti-venom quick-smart.

Female Black Widow spider eating a male. Credit: PA

You'll get localised cramps around the bite mark after just 15 minutes as the venom starts to get into your nervous system.

In the first hour, your thighs, back and shoulders will typically begin to spasm because the venom causes the nervous system to get rid of the neurotransmitters that keep those muscles functioning. That will most likely make standing or even sitting difficult.

Then the really bad stuff starts to kick in. For another two hours, you'll experience more severe pain and your abdomen will be incredibly stiff. Between hours three to 12, you'll gradually get clammy skin, breathing difficulties, more cramps and may end up going delirious.

After 12 hours, these symptoms will begin to simmer down but you won't fully recover until a few days later. You can also have similar spasms or muscle weakness for weeks or months later.

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More than 2,000 people report being bitten by these bad girls every year. The venom rarely causes death in healthy adults.

So it's best to just steer clear of the black widow - actually scrap that, just steer clear of all spiders, especially in Australia. A 10-year-old boy narrowly escaped with his life after being bitten by one of the most venomous arachnids on the planet.

Matthew Mitchell was bitten by a funnel-web spider in February, reports the Telegraph, and began frothing at the mouth after only a few minutes. He was rushed to hospital and received what's believed to have been the biggest dose of anti-venom in Australia's history.

The spider was captured by his brave family and taken to the Australian Reptile Park where it was milked for anti-venom.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Topics: Spider, Black Widow, Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie