The redback spider is a species of venomous spider indigenous to Australia. It is a member of the cosmopolitan genus Latrodectus, the widow spiders. The adult female has a black body with a prominent abdominal red stripe (pictured). Females have a body length of about 10 millimetres (0.4 in), while the male is much smaller, being only 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long. Mainly nocturnal, the female lives in an untidy-looking web in a warm sheltered location, commonly near or inside human residences. It preys on insects, spiders and small vertebrates that become ensnared in its web. Males and spiderlings often live on the periphery of the female's web and steal leftovers. The redback is one of few arachnids that usually display sexual cannibalism while mating. It is widespread in Australia, and inadvertent introductions have led to established colonies in New Zealand, Japan and in greenhouses in Belgium. The redback is one of the few spider species that can be seriously harmful to humans. An antivenom has been available since 1956, but its effectiveness has recently been questioned. No deaths directly due to redback bites have occurred since its introduction.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redback_spider

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1154:

Henry II was crowned King of England in London's Westminster Abbey. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England

1843:

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (pictured), a novella about the miser Ebenezer Scrooge and his conversion after being visited by three Christmas ghosts, was first published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

1956:

Irish-born British physician John Bodkin Adams was arrested in connection with the suspicious deaths of more than 160 of his patients, although he was only convicted on minor charges. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bodkin_Adams

1981:

Sixteen lives were lost when a Penlee lifeboat went to the aid of the stricken coaster Union Star in heavy seas off the south-west coast of England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penlee_lifeboat_disaster

1986:

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev released dissident Andrei Sakharov after six years of internal exile in Gorky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Sakharov

1998:

The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton following the Lewinsky scandal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

doomsayer: One who makes dire predictions about the future; one fond of predicting disaster. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doomsayer

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead", said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!" The Spirit was immovable as ever.   --A Christmas Carol https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol