Oregon Family Finds Rare Venomous Spider

OREGON CITY, OR — An Oregon City resident last month had the distinct (dis)pleasure of being the first Oregonian to report finding a brown widow spider. Previously, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the African spiders were thought to only reside in southern U.S. coastal states, such as California, along the Gulf, and Florida.

Marci Beddingfield on Sept. 29 said her family found the spider along with its egg sacs under a barbecue stand at their Oregon City home. Quickly recognizing the spider was not a black widow, the Beddingfields reportedly "googlenetwebbed it" and learned it may be a brown widow. Additionally, they learned brown widows aren't supposed to be in the Pacific Northwest.

The Beddingfields then sent the spider and its unusual, spiky egg sacs to the Department of Agriculture for analysis. After the state department positively identified the spider as a brown widow, on Thursday morning state employees went to the Beddingfield's home to search for more. Their search — perhaps fortunately? — did not turn up any more of the rare spiders.

As their names suggest, brown widows differ from their black cousins primarily by color. Further, while both species have hourglass shapes on the underside of their abdomens, a black widow's is red while the brown widow's is more of an orange color. Both spider species carry similarly dangerous venom, however.

After identifying the spider, state officials released a public warning to keep an eye out for any more of them, noting a bite from a brown widow could be "medically significant."

Anyone who finds a brown widow at their home is encouraged to contact the Oregon Department of Agriculture by email at plant-entomologists@oda.state.or.us, or by calling 503-986-4636.

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Top image use with permission from Marci Beddingfield