Couple New Ones (Widows) *pics*

[Removed_2815]

Hello again,
Well these widows are growing wicked fast! They hatched out on March 5, 2004 and looked like this:


Four days later they looked like this:


21 days later they looked like this:


22 days later they looked like this:


And today, 34 days after emerging, they look like this:



These guys blow my mind! They are such tiny and efficient predators. No wonder they are virtually cosmopolitan, such high fecundity and the instinctual desire to eat and grow fast. I love 'em....
Cheers,
Ryan

P.S. I put the Egg Construction video back up on my webspace and I compressed it down to 3.2mb. For those who have not seen it, feel free to right-click the link and save it to your hard-drive.
Widow Egg Construction

[Oliverian]

Nice! Never knew they grew that fast. I have one right now that's still fairly small, but she's growing too. Neat pattern on the young ones. Do they still have a nasty bite when they're little?

Now... I don't know... Do the males look the same as the females? I always thought it was the females who got big and black, and the males were totally different.

-TammyR

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Oliverian
Do they still have a nasty bite when they're little?

Now... I don't know... Do the males look the same as the females? I always thought it was the females who got big and black, and the males were totally different.

The little spiders are apparently poisonous, not venomous. Meaning that they are dangerous if you were to eat them for some reason but they are not venomous (not sure if the classification arises because they have no venom or they just can't puncture human skin). Not sure at what age they cease being poisonous and become venomous (apparently humans can ingest adult widows with nary an ill effect).
Males are apparently also not venomous, only the females pose a risk to humans.
Widows are exceptionally sexually dimorphic, this is what a male looks like. Females are the larger, more recognisable sex.
Cheers,
Ryan

[Emily-Fisher]

OOH... I can hardly wait for mine! Yes, that's right.. that means that I convinced my parents! Yessss!!

Very adorable.. it's amazing how they can change so much so quickly..

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

Oh you and I both Em, you and I both,


Aidan

[Oliverian]

What? Darn! Now I have to wait until they grow up a bit before I can eat them. Good thing you warned me!

-TammyR

[Yve]

looking good! I saw one for the first time in person last weekend...they are really spectacular and I didn't realize how large they get!

[Dragoon]

Bolton! What a tease you are! hahahaha

When do we get to purchase our little widows?

Also, at what age do they become sexable? The females obviously make a flashier display pet. And I'm assuming they will live longer, too?
Thanks much for the pics, yours are so very good!
D.

[ChokeOnSmoke]

Wow awesome video...
So at first she is spinning a casing for the eggs, and then when the yellowish stuff appears at the bottom, is that the eggs? Is that what is happening?

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Dragoon
When do we get to purchase our little widows?

Ha ha ha, I apologize to all who are waiting.... Hopefully they will be available soon but I don't know when. I wish I had a timeline based on previous experience but this is my first time. They are still very small...

Originally posted by Dragoon
Also, at what age do they become sexable?

I have read that by letting them cannibalize each other (which is what I did), you can ensure that most (if not all) of the survivors will be female. By the looks of it, they are all female.

Originally posted by Dragoon
And I'm assuming they will live longer, too?

Females do live longer and make better display animals. Males do not feed after their last molt and their sole desire in life is to mate. I would only sell females unless a male was requested.

Originally posted by Dragoon
Thanks much for the pics, yours are so very good!
D.

My pleasure and thank you for the compliment.

Originally posted by ChokeOnSmoke
So at first she is spinning a casing for the eggs, and then when the yellowish stuff appears at the bottom, is that the eggs? Is that what is happening?

Yup, she first creates a little cup-shaped structure on the underside of a branch (using a special kind of silk). She then applies the yellow mass of eggs (it's supposed to stick to the cup). She finishes by enclosing the entire yellow mass of eggs. It takes a couple of hours.

Here's a recent pic I took today of one of the larger spiders (with a recent molt in the frame):


Cheers,
Ryan

[SaIiLdVaEnR]

So what are they eating now if not one another? :P

Aidan

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by SaIiLdVaEnR
So what are they eating now if not one another? :P

Aidan

They have been separated and feeding on crickets since March 25th.
Ryan

[Dragoon]

How very scary!!!!

The females eat all the males? The only chance for them to survive to maturity is to make a run for it then....
I do hope males are capable of mating multiple females, or else there's many females that will live out their lives without contributing to recruitment. What a self-limiting practice, so many girls, so few guys...
Strange spiders. And thanks much for taking the time to answer all our questions!
D.

[TheRedDragon]

Very cool Ryan! You're very lucky to have those guys, looks like they're coming along very nicely!

[Oliverian]

Are those from the girl that you found in the grapes? I always used to think they were found all over Canada. Is it just BC then, or are they in some other provinces, too?

-TammyR