Spider Types
Spider Types Uncovered
Welcome to the wide, huge, wondrous world of the spider. Types range from those who are almost microscopic in size all the way up to those who could easily cover the surface of a serving platter. Come dinner time, though, I fear not many of us would relish that sight at all. Arachnophobia is suffered by most humans, to greater and lesser extents, and may cause some to clam up and change the subject whenever it should arise. But having a degree of knowledge about spider types and behaviors can be almost therapeutic to those who are brought to tremors at the very thought of arthropods.
Shall we begin with the fact that there are at least 3,800 spider types, or species, known to the continent of North America? Anyone lucky enough to live here will be completely thrilled to know that of those 3,800 species found in our region, only 5 are considered harmful to humans, and 2 of those 5 are actually stowaways from other tropical continents. The Brazilian Wandering Spider, or what we refer to as the “bad banana spider,” nestles himself within the secure safety of dense banana bunches and pops out at the local supermarket when he feels his presence needs to be known.
The other illegal alien is known to us as the hobo spider, and arrived at a Seattle sea port from Europe in the form of a fertilized egg sack. Unlike most venomous spider types, the hobo spider is not prone to much attention in his native region. There, he is a wild and sparse arachnid, weaving his living out in the empty and unpopulated fields. Encounters are therefore quite rare, and incidents of attack are nearly folklore. In his new home, however, he has expanded his habitat to include densely populated areas, and venomous bites are more common. I suppose that one might say with confidence that this hobo left his manners at home.
Now, we take the widows. Yes, the black ones, but also the red and the brown. It would be remise to leave out the ones who prefer the northern climate, the ones who are adorned with white hourglass markings, the ones who prefer to wear yellow markings, and the majority of widows who enjoy sporting their most notorious red hourglass design. Did I forget to mention that those northern black widows aren’t satisfied with just one marking, so they have plastered themselves with two? If all of this is confusing you, then just imagine how scientists feel. The widow of any color is a widow indeed, and one is no less venomous than another, regardless of the color or numbers of his hourglass shapes. The black widow is between ¼ and ¾ inch, always shiny, and has a bulbous rear end, or abdomen.