If you like weird mysteries, you might be interested in the fact that data on black widow bites were collected in the United States between 1950 and 1959, with 63 deaths during that time. Most of these people were men, and earlier research showed that about 80 percent of black widow bites occurred to men.
Even more interestingly, the majority of these bites were on penises, environmental analyst Kelsey Padgett said in an episode of This American Life. It is thought that this may explain why there were so many deaths from black widow bites at the time.
“The skin in this area is less thick and there are more nerves. And it’s a neurotoxin poison,” the interview said. The statement continues: “Perhaps being bitten on your genitals causes the venom to enter your body faster or more strongly than, for example, biting a callus on your foot.”
Why do black widows prefer penises?
Of course, the more important question here might be why black widow spiders often bite from a hiding place in pants. Black widows, however, do not seem to have a particular interest in this organ. Black widow spiders do not prefer to bite people on the penis or elsewhere, and only bite when they feel threatened. Thus, this disproportionately high number of cases of men bitten on the penis implies that black widows have been in many situations where they felt threatened and that a penis was nearby. That’s what Padgett believed. Most of the reported black widow bites took place in toilets outside homes.
“Black widow spiders like dark, low-lying places. They especially love making their cobwebs between two objects,” says Pedgett. He adds that insects and flies love the smell of toilets and make their homes inside toilet pits. “So placing your web there is a great option. . Imagine this. 1950s. you are a man. You need to do your big toilet. You go outside to use the outside toilet. You sit and your organ is there. And at that moment, the spider crashes into the web. And the usually non-aggressive black widow instinctively runs to the new creature that lands in its web and bites it.”
This disproportionate male and penis biting problem seems to have disappeared with the move of toilets into homes. Today, black widow bites are rarely fatal, the majority resolve without treatment, and others can be treated in hospital.
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