Why the Male Black Widow is a Real Home Wrecker | Deep Look
This episode of Deep Look is brought to you
by Curiosity Stream. You know what people say about her. She’s the black widow. She mates, and then she kills, right? Here comes her victim now. He’s smaller, less venomous. Kinda cute. Sweet little guy. But before he gets eaten alive…Let’s talk
about this poor sucker for a minute. And how much of a “victim” he really is. This western black widow lives in California. She works pretty hard to make a living. Unlike many spiders that build a new web each
night, she toils continuously on the same one her whole life. This web may look messy, but don’t be fooled. It’s laid out on a grid of draglines that
she attaches to the ground. It’s a multi-story sticky trap that stands
up to some pretty tough game. When she bites, the venom takes hold, bringing
a slow paralysis, As this lethal knitter wraps, and wraps, and
wraps. But that’s not the only thing hanging around
the web…There’s this guy. Adult male widow spiders don’t build webs
of their own. He moves right into hers. Basically, he’s a squatter. He’s staking his claim to her, because he
knows every sticky thread of the web is covered in her pheromones. And that spreads her mating scent far and
wide, potentially attracting a nice selection of other males for her to choose from. Which is not on his agenda. So, he trashes the place. He goes around snipping strands of her web,
undoing all her hard work. He winds up the loose threads in his own silk,
masking her scent from other males in the area. It’s called web reduction. When he finally tries to mate with her — see
that vibrating? That’s him signaling his interest —
He wraps her limbs in his own delicate silk. It probably serves to surround her in his
pheromones. Scientists call it the bridal veil. It seems subdues her. Makes her more approachable. When they mate, he leaves behind a piece of
this curlicue-shaped organ, called an embolus, in her body. It blocks other males from fathering her offspring
later. So let’s see… Lazy. Rude. Messy. Controlling. Ok. Now let’s watch him get eaten. Actually, in most widow spider species, and
there are 31, the males don’t get eaten. They escape scott free. The Australian redback is one of only two
where cannibalism almost always occurs when they mate. He literally somersaults himself towards her
mouth so she can take the first bite, which keeps her…interested. They’ll mate a few times like this before
he finally dies. Scientists describe it as a self-sacrifice. And she’ll take her time, devouring his
insides later. Least he can do, right? This episode is brought to you by Curiosity
Stream, a subscription streaming service that offers documentaries and nonfiction titles
from some of the world’s best filmmakers, including exclusive originals. Want to learn more about spiders’ habitats? Curiosity Stream’s original short film “Big
World Small Garden” captures the hectic and complex natural world of a London backyard. To get unlimited access and your first two
months free, sign up at CuriosityStream.com/deeplook, and use the promo code Deeplook during the
signup process. So what if a black widow spider bit you? Well, it probably wouldn’t kill you…in
fact, we couldn’t find a documented case of human death from a black widow spider. But it’s definitely no joke. So look, but don’t touch her. Another poison myth? How bout that Halloween candy that was supposed
to kill you? Watch this episode of the Origin of Everything
from PBS Digital Studios to find out the answer to that and other everyday mysteries. And thanks for watching Deep Look!
Me as a kid about to mess a spider web up
"Hold up I'm about to end this bugs whole career"
He’s a home wrecker
i was slapping my neck and checking my bed literally every five seconds until this was over with.
Well he will do anything for his children
Its terrible that female black widows eat there mates
I felt crawling sensation on my leg as soon as this video started
Hahaha haha hasss aa
Kinda like all women, suck your insides out later
why is this so relatable?
Dang that male is so jealous he destroyed her home.
As an arachnophobe, I do not appreciate myself for watching this.
P.S I really wanted to know how exactly he's a home wrecker…. I'm glad to know it isn't my home they were talking about…
Shouldn't it be called the Black Widower?
Your gonna get tricked today 🙂
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Men, always making sacrifices to ensure the continuation and prosperity of the species, only to end up having women complaining about how horrible they think men are.
Time to go full screen, whish me luck
Now I don't feel save.
This was so funny 🤣
Talk about a salty woman. "lazy" I dunno if I'd call that lazy, deconstruction of that web at that size sounds like a big job, and survival is quite clever if you just ask me. 😛
Me: Has massive Arachnophobia
Also me: Watches the Video
I have a black widow in my room and I feel bad if I kill it.
Kids: Mommy what was daddy like?
Mom: He was delicious
“snipping strands of the web” while we just drop our forks at 3am and break all the webs around us
I love all spiders now.
The narrator is obviously a female incel that is taking her frustrations out on that poor spider.
Why did I watch this ?!??
came to watch, stayed for the comments
Guys, the narrator’s job is to emphasize words and phrases in certain ways to make the video more interesting. She probably has to put on multiple characters, and this is just one of them. She’s most likely practiced different techniques to make her sound like someone who was cheated on, and I’m certain there’s no intent behind it. (This is for the people taking it seriously, not the one’s making jokes.)
3:47 Embolus- blocked other male from fathering his offsprings
I hope humans have embolus too!! Hahahaha
I saw that in sacramento..
How is he rude he is saving other spiders lifes
Bruh, she's letting him do this.
He ain't no squatter, that black widow is his sugah mama.
I feel strangely targeted by this commentary…😑
Incel spider incel spider
Dying happy
Spider BDSM
reminds me farcry 3
Wow so bondage, they're pretty freaking
Black Widow is dead….
I'm very uncomfortable right now. I have arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and im just terrified of looking at them
That is so creepy. My fear of spiders just elevated
the title is taken too literally
Me when I see a small spider: EVACUATE THE AREA!!! Me if I see a black widow: EVACUATE THE PLANET!!!
If only we could all eat our abusive ex boyfriends
My god this woman's voice sound so spiteful. Geeze. I cannot take her seriously, she has an obvious agenda to push.
I like how I have arachnophobia but still watch this vid. Fml
Finally not a female thing being documented
Bruh my guy died
Just like widowmaker
Cuz ima, home wrecker, home wrecker, I’m only happy when I’m on the run!(marina and the diamonds, anyone?)
Think how quick child support would disappear if this could be the cost of making offspring! 😂🤣
I think I saw one of those in my garage yesterday…
The narration helped me look at this video without freaking out. I faced my fear
I have such a hard time watching spiders YIKES
so when a widow mates is she fertile from then on ?
i had one in a cage every time she ate she produced an egg sack to my surprise they started to hatch and escape the cage !!!
Spider: uggh finally im done with my web
Me: Destroys it with a stick
Spider: N A N I ?
He knows he’s gonna die , so he’d rather be inside her !
i remember when i was young i caught one in a container and kept it for a while then had to let it go
Everything she just said describes my ex girlfriend.. EVERYTHING! Lazy, rude, messy, controlling. Yep, sounds exactly like her.
All I can feel is spiders in my hair now..
They should make a movie called black widow except they need real humans.
Imagine pooping out your house…
A women hate men in a spider form
Why Humans are Ginormous home invaders and wreckers
Sounds like my boyfriend.
props to the cameraman who didnt cring the entire time
Offspring: Hey mommy where’s daddy?
Black Widow: It’s complicated..
Hey, it's a lot of work to undo that web, wrap her up and then he's got to last more than 2 minutes and at the end he's eaten?
After the deed is done she gets to keep her house and the kids and got a free quickie and a meal.
Sounds like she got the better deal to me. Lol
male black widows are so freaking rude!
1:28 my heartbeat when 5 players left
1:35 my heartbeat when its a 1v1
Is it just me but I find the black widow to be deadly attractive and now I'm staring at a spider 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
male black widow
Mcgonagal: apparently not, 10 p.."
Spider bdsm spider bdsm
Role reversal in humans
Women’s take on what a man means to her.
i have tons of goosebumps
Male black widow takes apart female black widow web
Me: Oh lemme help you with that!
Also me: Takes shoe and hits the web
Male ruins what a lady is working on, Female kills him. and hes the one in the wrong and the messed up one in this situation? guess the animal world is alot like the human world.
God please forgive me of what I just watched
I love how she speaks about the male lol
Actually salty isn't she
FASCINATING!!!!
Black widows may be dangerous but at least they get rid of other bugs for you
Black widows are everything where I live and they’re amazing. They eat all of the annoying gnats and flies.
I'm afraid of you now!😬😬 What if I came to your home and somehow broke a vase, you'll chop me down and serve me up??😰😰
Waiting for that monster Musume season 2 😫😫😫😫
Waiting for that monster Musume season 2 😫😫😫😫
My jealous boyfriend:
Perfect narrative…thoroughly enjoyed! …Thank you
I'm gonna love you like a black widow BABY!!
Did yall feel that ?
I like to be eaten if you know what I mean.
this is so addicting to watch-
You haven’t watch Spider-Man movie?
That female is THICC
Female BW: “Look at this beautiful home I made. No one’s gonna wreck this place, right?”
Male BW: “I’m about to end this woman’s whole career.”
50 shades of spiders
Don't anthropomorphize their motives. That's not what they're doing.
Looks like SJWs are reducing the accuracy of even entomology.
someone's been single for far too long
If you turn off the sound you can clearly see how the female is just chilling, webbing the web just like every other spider. And then comes the male, has to do all this work just to have a chance with her and then most likely get killed.
a running theme in nature: the more powerful the female, the nastier the species.
i have a fear of spider why am i watching this