![]() They prefer open, grassy areas such as meadows and fields but can also be seen in woodlands, gardens and even inside buildings. Wolf spiders are found in a variety of habitats throughout the UK. When not hunting for food or mating, wolf spiders spend most of their time hiding under rocks or logs during daylight hours when predators such as birds may be active however, at night, they become more active again and begin searching for food once more. The young wolf spiders emerge as tiny versions of adults and disperse shortly after hatching, leaving the mother behind. After mating, the female will lay up to several hundred eggs inside an egg sac which she carries around until they hatch. Mating habits of wolf spiders involve the male finding a female and then using his pedipalps (small appendages near its mouth) to deposit sperm into her reproductive organs while she is still in her burrow. They use venom to subdue their prey before consuming it whole using powerful jaws called chelicerae. When they spot something, they quickly move towards it and pounce on it with their front legs before biting it with their fangs. They have excellent eyesight and use this to detect movement from potential prey. She enjoys taking photos of our urban wild things.Wolf spiders do not build webs but instead hunt actively for prey such as insects, other arachnids and even small vertebrates like lizards or mice, using ambush tactics or chasing after them if necessary. Jeanine Farley is an educational writer who has lived in the Boston area for more than 30 years. Include the photographer’s name and the general location where the photo was taken. Have you taken photos of our urban wild things? Send your images to Cambridge Day, and we may use them as part of a future feature. Although these wolf spiders may look scary, they are just trying to survive, and since they keep insect pests at bay, it’s probably best to leave them alone so they can patrol the area once the weather warms in spring. In the winter, most wolf spiders hibernate in a warm place, so you might find that you have an eight-legged visitor in your shed. A bite will cause you swelling and itchiness at the site for a few days, but the venom is not poisonous. Wolf spiders bite humans only as a last resort, when they feel that they cannot escape. They enclose larger prey in their legs and bite and eat it. Wolf spiders bite small prey immediately. The spiderlings climb up onto the mother’s back, sometimes stacked in several layers, for a week or two, until they complete their development and are large enough to hunt for themselves.Ī wolf spider spotted in June carries an egg sac under her abdomen. When the babies are mature, the female tears open the sac with her jaws to allow the youngsters to emerge. She might move the sac into or out of the sunlight to control the temperature of the developing eggs. ![]() She carries this egg sac under her abdomen into the summer as she hunts, often raising her abdomen to avoid damaging it. She places this disc on the ground and lays about 48 eggs in the center, then spins another disc on top and connects the two to form a sac. In May or June, she builds an egg sac by making a disc of silk with her spinnerets (the silk-spinning organs). (Photo: Thomas Shahan via Wikimedia Commons)Īlthough wolf spiders might seem heartless, the female is a devoted mother. Wolf spiders have eight eyes: A bottom row of four, a middle row with two large ones and an upper row with two angled ones. ![]() You might be able to spot the large eyes at night if you shine a flashlight along the ground – these spiders have tissues in their eyes that reflect light. On top are two medium-sized eyes, farther back on the head. Two very large eyes in the middle row set wolf spiders apart from other species. Wolf spiders have amazing vision – and who wouldn’t with three rows of eight eyes! The bottom row has four eyes. (A scary thought, especially as they can range from a quarter-inch to more than 1.5 inches in body size!) Most are nocturnal and therefore hunt at night. Unlike wolves, however, wolf spiders do not hunt in packs. One will lie in wait until prey happens by, then pounce like a wolf. These locations are good hunting grounds for these spiders and hunting is what they do. You might see one in your yard, garage, shed or basement. They live on the ground or hide under rocks, logs, leaves or plants. Unlike many others, they do not spin webs. (Photo: Ryan Hodnett via Wikimedia Commons)įound around the world including here in Cambridge, wolf spiders are one of the most common species of spiders. Although most wolf spiders are nocturnal, they can sometimes be seen basking in the sun to keep warm. ![]()
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