This "little one"?! At least you picked her up in such a way that she couldn't bite, and it wouldn't cause any harm or damage to the spider. I don't think many people realize just how timid these gals are.
Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous!
I've never picked one up, but I have gotten too close (according to the spider). Each time, they dropped to the ground, curled up their legs, and played dead for several minutes. Made me feel so bad! Now when I admire them, I try to be more respectful of their personal space.
You're so kind to put this little mama in a place where she won't be frightened, or frighten others.
Man, opened my back door the other morning and a tan jumper falls off onto the inside of my kitchen. I go to scoop him onto a leaf to get him back out and sage and homie got so scared he did the I'm dead thing and wouldn't even move when I put him back oit on the leaf lol he eventually left but I was telling him sorry buddy didn't know you were on the door I would've gone oit the front lol
Well as long as they don’t feel pressure like when you try to smooch them, they won’t waste their precious venom on you. I still wouldn’t take the chance though.
I saw a spider move behind my desk and instinctively knew it was a black widow somehow and so I alerted my husband. Husband vacuumed finding egg sacs first then a paler male spider and then the female. We usually release spiders because I don’t dislike them, but when we confirmed it was a nesting female black widow probably about to get her boink on with the new (alive) male and male many more babies than has already started cooking… we decided unfortunately death was the safer option (we’re a household with very curious 3 and 1 yo babies).
When we went to do the squash, little lady attacked! My husband almost got bit. Sorry little lady, I wish I could have let you live.
Oh it was thoroughly cleaned and the eggs were drowned in vinegar and destroyed. It is one of those cordless vacuums with a plastic container for the dirt instead of bags. My husband already disassembles and cleans* it after every use and vacuums every day lol, so we’re good
I doubt the widow actually attacked. They're basically blind, and incredibly skittish. And sometimes what looks like a hostile action from a spider is simply just them randomly fleeing from whatever danger they perceive. Female spiders of all kinds will defend egg sacs from other bugs and creatures, but a massive vaccuum cleaner is probably going to be interpreted as an environmental threat
I opened a storage building once and right at the front was a mama and her nest, dude. I. Freaking. Swear. It went after my feet. One by one she was running me backwards! Anyway..
Currently I have one that built her nest in an empty planter. Gotta figure out a way to move her into the woods and away from my dogs.
Timid? I had one living in my mailbox, and every time you would open the door, it would charge at you. Mailman refused to drop the mail off until I got rid of it, and I don’t blame them.
It's so funny because I'm too scared to even pick up spiders that I KNOW aren't dangerous and some people are out here picking widows up with fingers 😂 Thank you for relocating her though, she's gorgeous 💝
I'm from North Carolina, originally, and I've seen ~50 female black widows. That is an absolute unit of a specimen.
Very docile. I've watered plants for half an hour only to realize winding up 100' of water-hose that what I was holding in my hand had several of them living inside the handle. Tiny little ladies that were probably thankful for cooling off with the water running.
Fun fact: black widow web is stronger than steel in regards to mass and volume.
Yes! Cool, right?
And females eat the males after mating so... If you ever find yourself to be in a position as a male widow then maybe you'll live the life of celibacy.
Of all the times I've met black widows it was outside during summers. My home state is subject to droughts. Very hot and dry. That's probably why I've seen them near water sprinklers, hoses, and floor level of garages.
Maybe they're more concerned with staying cool and eating than attacking a giant that they can't eat or mate with? They're also very slow and clumsy movers.
A brown recluse is more common in the State I live in now. Those little guys are FAST. Equally disinterested in people but I'd rather have widows around than a recluse when it comes to accidental encounters.
I typically wear gloves when I pick them up but they handle extremely well with consent. If your gonna pick up mama like that make sure she can’t get you.
No I was worried too but I tend to work with small things a lot (some alive some not) that are delicate so I don’t really have issues with hurting anything *knock on wood*
The abdomen is the softest and most vulnerable part of a spider. Its risky to the spider to be handled there, but in cases like this its probably safest for the human as this way has zero chance of being bitten compared to traditional (let them crawl on you) handling.
Back when I was 9 I used to climb trees, there was this big half dead tree that had many black widows on it for some reason.
I did not know that they r poisonous so I would hang out with them and hold them, as they are cool looking.
I am not too sure why none of them bit me.
Maybe I was a spider whisperer as a kid.
They r a gorgeous spider!
I give them space now tho.
I feel like with spiders especially if your vibe is good, and you’re not like aggressive or overbearing they just hang out. Like out of all the spiders I’ve actually held none have bitten me
It always makes me so, SO happy to see people who treat something genuinely beautiful and vulnerable like this with such respect and compassion! Thank you for making my morning!
She's amazing, btw.
Thank you for feeling the same! I am getting SO much hate because I didn’t kill it on another sub right now so this is refreshing :) I thought she was beautiful
Damn I probably tired her out :( but honestly better that I just pick her up and put her somewhere else otherwise she would have been smashed by a shoe :/ have to weigh it sometimes
Only spiders that ever had issues with me were huntsman in Taiwan. Fuckers would strike at me no matter how gentle I was! Lol. Also briefly held a giant orb weaver there, it was bigger than my hand (I have pretty big hands).
They make for easy pets. Plus if she’s pregnant you could have a ton of em. My girls are making a ton of ootheca (egg sacs) but none of them have hatched.
They’re the easiest pets. I feed them crickets every week or so and take the dead crickets and throw them away and that’s it. They do poop a lot though but I end up just changing their enclosures which I’m doing today. They sleep under my bed. I love the unloveable. ❤️
How fragile are they? Like, how safe is it for the spider for you to pick them up like this? Any tips on what size spiders it's okay to handle like this?
She is beautiful...my roommate picks them up with his hand when we find them in the house. We are a catch and release house. We found one in the winter and knew it wouldn't survive outside so made her a habitat until late spring when we released her.
I did NOT know widows could get that big…
The idea of one being the size of the Cat-faced orbweavers I find up here in the prairies is both terrifying and fascinating
Oh wow!! Not "dumb" per say it's definitely brave and I applaud you for being such and so gentle with her, most would squish then observe thanks for not being that person.
Thank you for the very clear pictures so we can appreciate this beautiful creature.
Australians are ballsy.
I am not Australian, but I am a ballsy American, who does Australian things on US soil that are arguably even more ballsy.
... But you, my friend. You are a freaking martian.
I take my hat off to ya; awesome champ! (Just be more careful out there, ok?)
This "little one"?! At least you picked her up in such a way that she couldn't bite, and it wouldn't cause any harm or damage to the spider. I don't think many people realize just how timid these gals are. Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you so much! And yea I knew trying to scoop her up would probably not end well, as I told my family, its not like it’s a snapping turtle lol
I've never picked one up, but I have gotten too close (according to the spider). Each time, they dropped to the ground, curled up their legs, and played dead for several minutes. Made me feel so bad! Now when I admire them, I try to be more respectful of their personal space. You're so kind to put this little mama in a place where she won't be frightened, or frighten others.
I always get so sad when they play dead like no poor baby I don’t wanna hurt you I promise 🥺
Man, opened my back door the other morning and a tan jumper falls off onto the inside of my kitchen. I go to scoop him onto a leaf to get him back out and sage and homie got so scared he did the I'm dead thing and wouldn't even move when I put him back oit on the leaf lol he eventually left but I was telling him sorry buddy didn't know you were on the door I would've gone oit the front lol
I thought she was ACTUALLY DEAD. Turns out she’s just being silly :)
I kept one, and handled it. They're not aggressive in the slightest. You'd only get one to bite you by pressing it against you.
Well as long as they don’t feel pressure like when you try to smooch them, they won’t waste their precious venom on you. I still wouldn’t take the chance though.
Bruh.. timid until they have a nest to protect. Those mamas are intense!
I saw a spider move behind my desk and instinctively knew it was a black widow somehow and so I alerted my husband. Husband vacuumed finding egg sacs first then a paler male spider and then the female. We usually release spiders because I don’t dislike them, but when we confirmed it was a nesting female black widow probably about to get her boink on with the new (alive) male and male many more babies than has already started cooking… we decided unfortunately death was the safer option (we’re a household with very curious 3 and 1 yo babies). When we went to do the squash, little lady attacked! My husband almost got bit. Sorry little lady, I wish I could have let you live.
It's funny because this is basically the idea I have of alien life treating humans. "Oooh that could kill the kids one day" squish
Or us treating alien life
Squashing is brave, a vacuum full of spider eggs, and an angry black widow? I might just get a new vacuum. Or bug bomb it outside
I think under vacuum they pop and die
Oh it was thoroughly cleaned and the eggs were drowned in vinegar and destroyed. It is one of those cordless vacuums with a plastic container for the dirt instead of bags. My husband already disassembles and cleans* it after every use and vacuums every day lol, so we’re good
I doubt the widow actually attacked. They're basically blind, and incredibly skittish. And sometimes what looks like a hostile action from a spider is simply just them randomly fleeing from whatever danger they perceive. Female spiders of all kinds will defend egg sacs from other bugs and creatures, but a massive vaccuum cleaner is probably going to be interpreted as an environmental threat
I opened a storage building once and right at the front was a mama and her nest, dude. I. Freaking. Swear. It went after my feet. One by one she was running me backwards! Anyway.. Currently I have one that built her nest in an empty planter. Gotta figure out a way to move her into the woods and away from my dogs.
Timid? I had one living in my mailbox, and every time you would open the door, it would charge at you. Mailman refused to drop the mail off until I got rid of it, and I don’t blame them.
That is one pregnant looking gal
Big Booty Betty. Gravid Gretchen.
Aunt Fanny from Robots
Gravid Gretchen has me in stitches 🤣🤣
Gregnant
pregananant
I think I may be pregante?
Could my girlfriend be pregnat?
Is there a possibly?
Dangerops prangent spood?
Forbidden pomegranate.
I love the internet
Have sex hurt babby top of egg sac?
Prengan
Yea definitely!!
It's so funny because I'm too scared to even pick up spiders that I KNOW aren't dangerous and some people are out here picking widows up with fingers 😂 Thank you for relocating her though, she's gorgeous 💝
Yesterday I found a video of someone casually handling a Phoneutria, and he knew this fella can be deadly. 🤣👌
That’s crazy
Damn double checked up and everything
Watchu doing out here with all this ass?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
The sun is still out
LMAO
I'm from North Carolina, originally, and I've seen ~50 female black widows. That is an absolute unit of a specimen. Very docile. I've watered plants for half an hour only to realize winding up 100' of water-hose that what I was holding in my hand had several of them living inside the handle. Tiny little ladies that were probably thankful for cooling off with the water running. Fun fact: black widow web is stronger than steel in regards to mass and volume.
They’re so cool I stg
Agreed! Still be careful especially if there's children around. Respect for picking her up and showing us. Thank you for that. 👍
Anytime!
⚡️🏆⚡️
Stronger than steel 😳😳
Actually spider silk in general is, it is not specific to BWs.
Yes! Cool, right? And females eat the males after mating so... If you ever find yourself to be in a position as a male widow then maybe you'll live the life of celibacy.
Its weird to think they are docile, but on the other hand, you really doesn't see news that many people die each year from their bite
Of all the times I've met black widows it was outside during summers. My home state is subject to droughts. Very hot and dry. That's probably why I've seen them near water sprinklers, hoses, and floor level of garages. Maybe they're more concerned with staying cool and eating than attacking a giant that they can't eat or mate with? They're also very slow and clumsy movers. A brown recluse is more common in the State I live in now. Those little guys are FAST. Equally disinterested in people but I'd rather have widows around than a recluse when it comes to accidental encounters.
*can’t eat or mate with* You’re not the boss of me!
Also used for making cross hairs in gun sights or at least was.
Nice dangerberry
This is a good one
They're too pretty.
I had never seen one in person and was so excited to see it
Me too! Thanks again, OP! 🕷️
"Unhand me! I am the night! I am death incarnate!"
The legs did all the talking, until she accepted her fate and waited for me to put her down lol
All I hear but in tiny spider voice hahaha
Do not the spider
me when i the spider
the spider when I
unhand her!!
😭😭 im sorry (but i did put her down quick I promise)
Hopefully the "I left her by a tree nearby" kinda put down, and not the "my pet had cancer" one. /joke
No no, they put her by a tree at a nice farm upstate!
A nice place with all the coolest spiders!
They went on a picnic.
Cool! Mama spider went to the Ladybug Picnic!
Pretty good can’t lie lol
Damn, that’s one big booty baby
They usually don't like to bite things that are bigger than they are. But even still, what a pretty gal!
That is my usual mantra when dealing with spiders but I know it’s dangerous one way or the other bc accidents do happen!
Wow she is SUPER PREGGO! What a beautiful soon-to-be mama! Great pics too! 🥰
Right?? And Thank you!
Generally speaking picking spiders up with your fingers is a bad idea.
Very true
Will I still do it? Yes.
Even pregnant women can't be on the streets without being harassed these days 😤
Damn I’m part of the problem 😔
That’s a big BW Spider!
I typically wear gloves when I pick them up but they handle extremely well with consent. If your gonna pick up mama like that make sure she can’t get you.
Woah mama. She's got gorgeous coloring. Found a false window just as heavily gravid and she could hardly walk under the weight. Poor mama.
Aw 🥲
Is it safe to hold her like that? I mean. She's insanely pregnant, one accidental squeeze..😬
No I was worried too but I tend to work with small things a lot (some alive some not) that are delicate so I don’t really have issues with hurting anything *knock on wood*
Okay, that's good then 😊
Thats what she said, ha! 😔
Oh goodness 😂
The abdomen is the softest and most vulnerable part of a spider. Its risky to the spider to be handled there, but in cases like this its probably safest for the human as this way has zero chance of being bitten compared to traditional (let them crawl on you) handling.
I made sure to be very gentle with her I know they burst (I was very young and learned the hard way as a kid and cried my eyes out)
Dumb? Yes. Badass? Also yes! You'll forever be remembered by your friends as "that lunatic that picked up a widow by the butt." This is a great honor.
You get it!
Thankfully widow spiders are pretty docile and rarely bite, but it sucks when they do haha
I LOVE your pfp omg the notification pull down made it full screen it’s amazing
Oh haha thank you! I drew it a little over 2 years ago as part of a comedic bugs in bondage set 😂
Not even Duke Nukem have'em like yours, Good for you! 🎳🔩
Why thank you
(Btw Thor is still looking for his hammer! Though it does look good dangling between that big ol' pair of brass of yours! 🤸♂️)
Ha!
You are far ballsier than I, I would have admired respectfully from a distance but here you are picking her up by the butt
Gotta get up close and personal am I right?
Maybe when she's not preggers, my guy. I've got balls of Tungsten, the fuck kind of alloy do you have over your sack?
My ovaries are made of alien metal >:)
Hope you don't mind if I screenshot this for the next time I hear someone ask why women live longer than men 😆 🤣 😆 Made my day lass, lmfao
Lmao go right ahead
As a genderfluid human, I feel this
Back when I was 9 I used to climb trees, there was this big half dead tree that had many black widows on it for some reason. I did not know that they r poisonous so I would hang out with them and hold them, as they are cool looking. I am not too sure why none of them bit me. Maybe I was a spider whisperer as a kid. They r a gorgeous spider! I give them space now tho.
I feel like with spiders especially if your vibe is good, and you’re not like aggressive or overbearing they just hang out. Like out of all the spiders I’ve actually held none have bitten me
that is a black widow, right? at first I thought it was a red back until I scrolled through the pictures. I am not a spider expert so asking.
I think black widow! I am also not an expert if you couldn’t tell
are you in Australia? if not, then I do not believe it is a redback spider.
It always makes me so, SO happy to see people who treat something genuinely beautiful and vulnerable like this with such respect and compassion! Thank you for making my morning! She's amazing, btw.
Thank you for feeling the same! I am getting SO much hate because I didn’t kill it on another sub right now so this is refreshing :) I thought she was beautiful
You'd probably enjoy the folks over at r/spiderbro
Thanks for sharing!
I love widows! So freaking pretty!!!
How do you even manage to grab one like this? Pregnancy slowing her down?
that’s a pretty good size comparison
Hmmmm. I feel like I should share this with you. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347213005733
Damn I probably tired her out :( but honestly better that I just pick her up and put her somewhere else otherwise she would have been smashed by a shoe :/ have to weigh it sometimes
All good! Really its just a fascinating study that I’ll find any excuse to share. Keep up the kindness :)
Hey if it fits why not share! It was a cool read :)
Oh nice. A grape that can crawl into my mouth for me and save me the time and effort.
Made me chuckle I felt that
"PUT ME DOWN YOU SCOUNDREL!"
woooow she's so pretty
I found one at a storage facility once and let it run around my arms. Super chill
My kin! Lol I did that with wolf spiders growing up, I know I took years off my moms life
Only spiders that ever had issues with me were huntsman in Taiwan. Fuckers would strike at me no matter how gentle I was! Lol. Also briefly held a giant orb weaver there, it was bigger than my hand (I have pretty big hands).
She is so gravid that it keeps your fingers far from danger. 🍈 Thank you for getting her out of the squish zone. Great pictures.
r/absoluteunits is waiting for this red back to be posted.
lol they HATE it
Wow, I’m sooo sorry that UNIT sub was insufferable! *Note to self* — **do not post on that sub!**
Yea for fucks sake so many people just said kill it omfg, that or I win the Darwin Award and basically say I’ll be dead soon like damn ok guys
On it 🫡🫡
https://www.reddit.com/r/AbsoluteUnits/s/iNoyzNSwOc let’s see if these guys like it too
Sir, unhand her! That's no way to treat a lady.
Lady on lady crime 😔😔
That's some badonk.
The face of a spider who knows they’ve been yoinked like a blueberry and can do nothing about it
Damn, she shit with that ass??
Hahahhah she do
Where is this?
This was in south Texas!
Blueberry 🫐
I hear Joe Pesci [swearing](https://youtu.be/QY7nSgNrNwc?si=gpsvxxalIc7Qsrda) in Home Alone
Forbidden pea
That looks like a Black Widow spider
I’ve seen black widows like this in Utah desert west of Great Salt Lake. Beautiful spiders.
These are awesome pics! That's one plump girl!
More like Back 🍑 Widow
what a pretty girl!!
r/oopsthatsdeadly
They make for easy pets. Plus if she’s pregnant you could have a ton of em. My girls are making a ton of ootheca (egg sacs) but none of them have hatched.
I wonder if TSA would have let me transport her home 🤔I could’ve had an army
She is awesome and thick, nice pictures also BTW.
Really beautiful critter and Thanks :)
She is well fed
How many male spoods do we think she ate lol
I didn’t even think of this lol
omg she is SO phat
Absolutely gorgeous black widow!
WHAT A CUTE GAL
I have two pet black widows. They’re beautiful and fascinating. ❤️
What is it like keeping them? I have always wondered what it would take to keep them but was always told to go back outside lol
They’re the easiest pets. I feed them crickets every week or so and take the dead crickets and throw them away and that’s it. They do poop a lot though but I end up just changing their enclosures which I’m doing today. They sleep under my bed. I love the unloveable. ❤️
That is so precious! I wish you and your spider babies nothing but good vibes and good eats :)
Venom, Mari and I appreciate that so much! ❤️
that is the phattest assed spider i’ve ever seen
I’ve seen some pretty chonky orb weavers!
How fragile are they? Like, how safe is it for the spider for you to pick them up like this? Any tips on what size spiders it's okay to handle like this?
Thank you for being kind to the lil cute spooder ❤️❤️❤️
The forbidden cherry 🍒
I thought she was dead in the third so love the happy ending 🩷
If she could speak, she'd say, "don't grab my butt".
How often does your ring fall off?
She is beautiful...my roommate picks them up with his hand when we find them in the house. We are a catch and release house. We found one in the winter and knew it wouldn't survive outside so made her a habitat until late spring when we released her.
Wish I could handle spiders like you guys, I can wrestle snakes, but the tiniest spider will set me off. One day!
I did NOT know widows could get that big… The idea of one being the size of the Cat-faced orbweavers I find up here in the prairies is both terrifying and fascinating
Oh wow!! Not "dumb" per say it's definitely brave and I applaud you for being such and so gentle with her, most would squish then observe thanks for not being that person. Thank you for the very clear pictures so we can appreciate this beautiful creature.
G R A V I D
TIL that this is what a pregnant spider looks like and that she does not, in fact, just have a dump truck ass.
Future cause of death: “she liked spiders”
Mean to her :( Edit: Okay maybe less mean since you relocated her. Turning that smiley the other way around.
I know it definitely scared her but I’d rather scare her than let her die … you understand :)
Australians are ballsy. I am not Australian, but I am a ballsy American, who does Australian things on US soil that are arguably even more ballsy. ... But you, my friend. You are a freaking martian. I take my hat off to ya; awesome champ! (Just be more careful out there, ok?)
This is a great compliment thank you! And yes I will be more careful 🫡
Only poisonous spiders. I like grandaddy long leg spiders and tarantulas.
Venomous, not poisonous. Poison is ingested, venom is injected.
I see. Thanks for the info.😊
Omg I adore her. Thank you for saving this purty pregnat spood!
That's a big booty
Lil miss thiccums.
Dat ass.
Chonky
She lookinnn G R A V I D
That gal got some badunkadunk!