The redback spider, also known as the Australian black widow, is a species of highly venomous
spider believed to originate in South Australia or adjacent Western Australian deserts
For humans, only the poison of females is
dangerous.
The victim experiences weakness and nausea.
In some cases, fever and convulsions appear.
The venom has a strong neurotoxic effect. It is
advised to apply a cold compress to the bitten
place in order to relieve pain.
They are not above stealing food from the webs of other
spiders.
L. hasselti doesn’t just wait for prey to bumble into their web
but constructs intricate traps. This makes the web look
messy, but the spider knows what she’s doing.
Not only do female redbacks eat the males, but redback
spiderlings eat each other.
Most male redbacks never find a mate.
Redback spiders who live in Japan hibernate during the
winters. This behavior isn’t seen anywhere else.