![]() ![]() Sometimes they dig burrows or make holes under rocks or logs to live in. The dark, mottled colors on their bodies help them blend in with decaying plant matter while hunting or avoiding predators. They typically live on the ground, though some are known to climb partly up trees to catch their prey. They can be found in a wide range of habitats both coastal and inland - anywhere they can find insects to eat! These include shrub lands, woodland, wet coastal forest, alpine meadows and suburban gardens. Spiderlings disperse aerially and, consequently, wolf spiders have wide distributions. Wolf spiders live almost everywhere in the world, besides the extreme polar region and the Antarctic. The wolf spider has a lifespan of around 1 year, although it can rarely life up to 18 months old. Wolf Spiders eyes reflect light well and one way of finding them is to hunt at night using a flashlight strapped to ones forehead so that the light from the light is reflected from their eyes directly back toward its source. Despite this, they cannot move their eyes and rely on their wide vision to see. Unlike most other arachnids, which are generally blind or have poor vision, wolf spiders have excellent eyesight. The bottom row consists of four small eyes, the middle row has two very large eyes and the top row has two medium-sized eyes. Wolf Spiders have eight eyes arranged in three rows. The sides of their jaws may have a small raised orange spot or ‘boss’, too. They also have three tiny claws at the end of their legs, which help them hunt. In general their coloration is appropriate to their favoured habitat. Because they depend on camouflage for protection, wolf spiders do not have the flashy appearance of some other kinds of spiders. ![]() The spiders undersides are light grey, cream or black, sometimes salmon pink. They are hairy and typically brown, grey or tan in color with distinct dark markings on their back, which is sometimes called a Union Jack impression. Wolf Spiders range from about half an inch to 2 inches in length, with males being smaller than females. Keep reading on to find out more about these interesting arachnids. The wolf spider is widespread and most species are not endangered. Their name comes from the Ancient Greek word λύκος, meaning “wolf”. The Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis) is the official state spider of South Carolina, which is the only state that has a state spider. ![]() This family belongs to the order of Araneae, which includes all known spiders. There are more than 100 genera and about 2,300 species of wolf spiders 200 species live in the United States. Wolf spiders resemble nursery web spiders (family Pisauridae), however, they carry their egg sacs by attaching them to their spinnerets (instead of by means of their jaws and pedipalps). Wolf spiders are robust, fast and agile hunters that rely on good eyesight to hunt, typically at night. They are so named because their method of hunting is to run down their prey like that of a wolf. If you are dealing with wolf spiders in your North Carolina property, contact your local spider exterminators.Wolf Spiders are members of the family Lycosidae. However, sensitive individuals such as children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems may have some form of negative reaction. A wolf spider bite may be painful, but it is not generally dangerous to healthy adults. While they may be fast and aggressive when hunting their insect prey, they don’t usually bite people unless they are provoked or mishandled. Wolf spiders can bite, but their bites are extremely rare. Wolf Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers Female spiders may sometimes be seen with their young riding on their backs until they are independent enough to go off on their own. Because they are so numerous, and such voracious predators, wolf spiders are a very important part of any ecosystem in which they occur. Some wolf spiders build small burrows and defend a territory, others are free-roaming. They do not use webs to capture prey and actively hunt in the open during the day and night, often living by the thousands in leaf litter and grassy areas. Wolf spiders are active hunters that patrol the ground for insects, small spiders, and similar prey. Wolf spiders are rarely pests, but they sometimes wander into houses, where their large size often frightens homeowners. Shining a flashlight at ground level will often allow one to see the green eye shines of this spider reflected from 10-30 feet away, depending on the spider’s size. Many wolf spiders are nocturnal and use a reflective structure to maximize vision at night. These spiders have excellent vision, allowing them to see humans approaching them, at which point, they flee. Wolf spiders are active hunters and cause the greatest concern when encountered in homes. ![]()
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