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Spiders are arachnid arthropods that inhabit large areas of the planet. They also have a long history of bio-weapons experimentation, and a number of spider-based B.O.W.s were created by Umbrella Corporation.

History of B.O.W. research[]

The earliest usage of the t-Virus on spiders was the pure-breed "Giant Spider" created by Doctor James Marcus between its creation in 1978 and the doctor's death in 1988. They were blessed with a large size and internal changes to cope with it. The spider was capable of using its venom as a projectile.[1] Research in the late 1990s on spiders accidentally infected by the t-Virus led to the rebirth of B.O.W. development.

During the viral outbreak in the Arklays, the "Web Spinner", while sharing many similarities to Marcus' B.O.W., proved itself as being far more mobile than their predecessors - colonizing much of the Arklay Laboratory in comparison to the former, which resided solely in a damp cave. Shortly before the outbreak, Umbrella researchers at the facility had some of their B.O.W.s marked for disposure.[1] One of these began to mutate unexpectedly, growing even larger than its fellow Web Spinners and developing a more concentrated venom in its abdomen - the "Black Tiger". This spider also regained the ability to spin webs, something lost by the ironically named Web Spinners.[1]

Giant Spiders created by accidental exposure to the t-Virus were rampant throughout the sewers of both Raccoon City and Sheena Island, though did not spread out like the Web Spinners.

By December 1998, Umbrella had another arachnid in production - the Black Widow. These hairless spiders were undergoing mass-production and were being transported to numerous facilities through the Antarctic Base when the t-Virus was released. These spiders, along with the mutated "Giant Black Widow", lived not far from the crates in which they escaped from and, similar to the Giant Spiders, did not spread out like the Web Spinners.

The "Jumping Maneater" was encountered by government agent Leon Scott Kennedy in the Amazon rainforest in 2002.

List of spiders[]

  • Black Tiger - A Web Spinner that reacted exceptionally-well to the t-Virus.
  • Black Widow - A bio-weapons project parallel to the Web Spinner; they were being transported to the Antarctic Base in 1998.
  • Giant Black Widow - A larger Black Widow released during the outbreak in the Antarctic Base.
  • Giant Spider - An early tarantula-based B.O.W. developed by Dr. James Marcus.
  • "Giant Spider" - The name for spiders succumbing to a secondary t-Virus infection.
  • Jumping Maneater - An Amazonian species of spider used by Javier Hidalgo in 2002.
  • "Little spiders" - A blanket-term for the infant spiders that reside on the body of their mothers until her death.
  • Web Spinner - A tarantula-based B.O.W. developed in the Arklay Laboratory; it is almost identical to Marcus' research.

Uninfected spiders were also encountered by Leon during his search for Ashley Graham in Europe in 2004. They were also encountered by Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine in the underground areas of the Spencer Estate in 2006, and again in the Ndipaya Kingdom by Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar in 2009. In 2013, Leon Kennedy and Helena Harper encountered uninfected spiders at the catacombs beneath the Tall Oaks Church.

Sources[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Resident Evil Archives, pages 169-170
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