Zoo home for EIGHT black widow spiders found in shipping container in Telford

Eight black widow spiders found in a shipping container in Telford have been rescued by the town’s Exotic Zoo.

Scott Adams, from the zoo, received a call from a company which had received the cargo from California.

Shocked staff spotted one of the potentially deadly spiders dangling from a web.

Scott said: “When we got there we found another one, then another one and by the time we had finished we had managed to get eight. There are two adult females and the rest are juveniles.

“The two adults are about a year old. In captivity black widows have been known to live three years.

“This is the most we’ve ever gone out to and rescued. We’ve got one we rescued on another occasion living in the zoo.”

All of the spiders have now been housed individually in the zoo’s venom section.

Scott added: “We are all big animal lovers so it’s always nice that we can give them a home, rather than them being exterminated.

Black widow spiders are arachnids that are known for the females’ unique appearance and tendency to eat their mates.

They are considered the most venomous spiders in North America; however, their bite is rarely fatal to humans. Male and female black widows look different. The females are the most distinctive, with shiny black bodies and a red hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of their round abdomen.

Female black widows are about 1.5 inches long. The males are about half the size of females. Males are lighter in colour, with red or pink spots on their backs.

Black widows are found in temperate regions throughout the world, including the United States, southern Europe and Asia, Australia, Africa, and much of South America.

Scott also makes regular appearances on CBBC’s Blue Peter and will be taking a number of baby animals onto the show on April 26.