Spiders - one of the oldest land animals on our planet, they came from a crab-shaped ancestor. Now the squad of spiders includes more than forty thousand different species.

Karakurt belongs to the class of arachnids, the order - spiders, is a representative of the genus Latrodectus, the poison of these spiders deadly to animals and humans.

Karakurt - habitat

The habitat of karakurt includes the territories of the tropical zone of Africa, Central and Western Asia and southern Europe. In our country, these spiders live in the Caucasus, Crimea, in the south of the Urals, but recently their range has expanded to the north. They are met in the suburbs, in Rostov-on-Don, in Orel. Karakurt likes to settle in wastelands, in ravines, on the banks of water bodies.

The structure of karakurt

The structure of karakurt is practically no different from the structure of other spiders. His body is divided into two sections: the front section of the body, with four pairs of eyes, is covered with a solid chitin shield. The second section is the abdomen, which is covered with an elastic membrane. Spider glands are located in this part of the body. On the head of the body there are two pairs of modified limbs - chelicera and pedipalps, behind which there are walking legs. The spiders have eight.

Chelicera consists of one limb, at the end of which there is a claw, where the poisonous gland opens.They are designed to seize and hold prey, as well as to protect against enemies.

Pedipalps look like legs, but shorter. They are the organ of touch, usually do not participate in movement. In sexually mature males. They are somewhat modified.

Lifestyle

The main difference between a male and a female in karakurt is the size. The female is almost twice as large as the male. It can reach two centimeters in length, while the male does not grow more than seven millimeters. In addition, the male’s abdomen has red spots. The female body is painted in deep black. Karakurt, like other spiders, are good runners, and can travel quite long distances at high speed. This is even more surprising, because in the extremities of the spider muscle fibers are completely absent.

In addition to movement, the spider uses legs to dig minks and weave networks. Also on the legs there are olfactory and tactile organs.

Karakurt, like all spiders, are predators. They catch their prey with cobwebs. Spiders thrust into caught prey, releasing poison and digestive juices. Having entangled the victim with a web, they leave it for a while. Digestive juices quickly digest the prey, after which the spiders suck out the resulting broth.

Breeding

The female karakurt, before mating, leaves the nest, and is in constant motion, leaving behind a special double thread, on which the male finds it.

The courtship process is preceded by quite long dances.The male twitches his abdomen, animatedly moves the pedipalps.

The spider approaches its partner with the greatest caution, but the females show aggression only when they are not ready. Females do not attack partners, but favorably accept courtship.

Rivalry of males during the mating season is common. One female gathers beside herself up to ten pretenders fighting among themselves. The most powerful and agile drives away other males and proceeds to mating games.

During mating games, the female karakurt enters a state of catalepsy and remains motionless for a long time. In a similar state, it is not dangerous for the male.

After that, the female suddenly goes out of her stupor and inflicts several blows on her partner with cheliceurs, after which the partner turns into a small lump. The female gets rid of the deceased partner and takes the courtship of the next applicant. Despite the creepy look, this feature of karakurt behavior for the species as a whole has a positive value. Males are capable of mating games only once in a lifetime. Left alive, they would compete with the still unpopulated males, thereby complicating the reproduction of the species. Read our article in more detail: Why does a black widow eat her husband?

Offspring Care

Care for the offspring of female karakurt is pronounced during the incubation period. First of all, they are looking for a place for future masonry, tearing out a nest in the ground, or adjusting for this the abandoned mink of rodents. Before entering the nest, she pulls on hunting nets.And only then cocoons with eggs are laid. Females remain in the nest throughout the incubation period. Usually juveniles appear in April.

With the advent of the offspring, the maternal functions of the female are fulfilled and juveniles attached to cobwebs are carried by the wind. By the beginning of summer, young karakurt reaches maturity and is capable of mating.

Natural enemies of karakurt

Karakurt have many enemies in the wild. Herds of grazing animals trample grass and destroy the nests of karakurt. Hedgehogs are not susceptible to the poison of karakurtTherefore, they feed on them fearlessly. A large number of beetles and wasps lay larvae in the cocoons of spiders, destroying the entire brood.

Karakurt and man

The poison of karakurt contains neurotoxin and is close in action to the poison of rattlesnakes. At the site of the bite, hyperemia occurs, which quickly disappears. After a quarter of an hour there are sharp pains in the abdomen, chest, numb legs. All this is accompanied by mental agitation by convulsions, headache. The heartbeat slows down, arrhythmia appears, blood and protein appear in the urine. The condition of the victim becomes critical. The most effective remedy is anticaracourt serum. With timely administration, the patient's condition quickly normalizes.

It should be noted that karakurts are never the first to attack. Spiders are aggressive only if disturbed. The most dangerous are the bites of females. The largest number of bites occurs in June-July - the time of annual migrations.