The redback spider is a species of venomous spider indigenous to Australia. It is a member of the cosmopolitan genus "Latrodectus", the widow spiders. The adult female is easily recognised by her spherical black body with a prominent red stripe on the upper side of her abdomen and an hourglass-shaped red/orange streak on the underside.
Similar species: Spiders
By Stuart Mathieson
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Uploaded Dec 7, 2020. Captured Dec 7, 2020 01:10 in 42 Hawthorne Cct, Harrington Park NSW 2567, Australia.
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The redback spider (Latrodectus hasseltii) is a venomous spider that is native to Australia where it is commonly found in urban areas. They are often feared because of the combination of their preference for living near people and their strong venom. But, should they be feared? Are they as scary as they seem? The truth is that redback spiders are not aggressive unless their web is disturbed. Their bites are painful, but rarely fatal. In fact, only one human death has been reported since antivenom became available in 1956.
Redbacks have a unique method of sexual cannibalism. During mating, the female eats the male, which is not a shocker. But, to make this more horrifying, the male actually assists the female in cannibalizing him. He flips his body so that his abdomen is over the female’s mouthparts. The cannibalism process is slow, and mating will continue until the male succumbs to his injuries. He basically gets eaten to death while mating. There is no serious disadvantage to this since males can only mate once. The male’s self-sacrifice provides a meal for his mate and he gets to pass on his genetic information by having offspring. It’s gruesome, but a win-win.
**Here’s a final thought about spiders: We should respect and appreciate them, even the venomous ones. As carnivores, they are nature’s pest control service. They have their rightful place in any ecosystem. Most are not aggressive. Actually, you can easily anthropomorphize spiders to assume that they are afraid of us: Humans are big and loud; we disrupt their habitat. What spider in their right mind wouldn’t run away or bite in self-defense when a bumbling human assaults them?! The point is that their reputation has been tainted by fake news (that actually is fake), the purpose of which is to instill fear and disgust, rather than acceptance and awe. Spiders are very cool creatures and we are lucky to have them! {Spotted in NSW, Australia by JungleDragon user, Stuart Mathieson} #JungleDragon #Redbackspider #Latrodectushasseltii
Stuart is new to photography and JungleDragon, but has already shared many photographic gems: https://www.jungledragon.com/user/4710/popular
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Posted 4 years ago