Q 01/05

Black widow spider venom is reported to be 15 times stronger than the venom of which snake?

A) King cobra

B) Rattlesnake

C) Black mamba

D) Copperhead

Answer · why

B) Rattlesnake

Rattlesnake venom is the famous comparison, yet most people bitten by a black widow suffer no serious damage. The spider is not aggressive and bites o...

Q 02/05

Early medical reports of black widow spider bites often described men bitten while using what?

A) Woodsheds

B) Haylofts

C) Outhouses

D) Root cellars

Answer · why

C) Outhouses

Outhouses were ideal hiding places for the spiders, and the genitals were often where the bite landed. No lasting injury to the area was reported.

Q 03/05

Weight for weight, the silk of the western black widow spider is famously compared with wire made of which metal?

A) Steel

B) Copper

C) Aluminium

D) Bronze

Answer · why

A) Steel

Steel wire only matches the silk at equal thickness. Because the metal is about six times denser, a thread of widow silk is far stronger than a wire o...

Q 04/05

The 'widow' in black widow spider refers to what the female sometimes does to a male after mating?

A) Chases him off

B) Steals his prey

C) Shuts him out

D) Devours him

Answer · why

D) Devours him

She devours him far less often than the legend suggests. Much of the evidence comes from laboratory cages where males could not escape, and in the wil...

Q 05/05

Which red shape marks the underside of the abdomen of most female black widow spiders?

A) A violin

B) An hourglass

C) A lightning bolt

D) A crescent

Answer · why

B) An hourglass

An hourglass is the classic mark, but some females show only two red dots or no marking at all, so a plain black spider is not proof of a harmless one...