Female black widows have a murderous reputation, but do the males have it coming?
Female widow spiders are known for eating their mates after sex – hence the name and notoriety. But as this short video from the science documentary series Deep Look shows, the widow spider’s reputation is rife with misunderstandings, misconceptions and flat-out falsities. For starters, in the vast majority of the 31 widow spider species, males usually escape their sexual encounters unscathed. Captured in ultra-HD, this short interrogates whether female widow spiders really deserve their infamy. You can read more about the video at KQED Science.
Video by KQED Science and PBS Digital Studios
Producer and Writer: Elliott Kennerson
Narrator and Writer: Lauren Sommer
Cinematographers: Sean McCann, Josh Cassidy