Black Widow Spider (IMAGE) University of Toronto Caption The life of a male black widow spider is best described as nasty, brutal and short. Only 12 per cent survive the journey to find a mate, and those who do, run the risk of being cannibalized by larger females. Credit Sean McCann Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.