Wolf Spider Facts

It is late at night and the highway is abandoned because of the snow that has been descending for the last 4 hours. Abruptly a car screeches to a halt. The inhabitants disembark and walk towards the dilapidated old building located just a few blocks away. Their gait is different and uncomfortable, this is what I notice as I strain my eyes to get a better look. Then I see something that frightens the living daylights out of me. They are not walking on their feet like humans, but have sprouted eight legs and are crawling up the hill. I wake up with my own voice ringing through my ears.

Wolf Spider Facts

The wolf spider belongs to the kingdom animalia, phylum arthropoda and genus pardosa. The wolf spider got its name from the wolf because it stalks its prey just like it. Here are some more wolf spider facts:

• Small wolf spiders are less than one inch in length whereas some species are as large as two inches.
• Wolf spiders are agile and fast-moving ground predators.
• The wolf spider does not make webs.
• Most of these spiders move about wandering from one place to another.
• Wolf spiders are dull in color. The male species of the wolf spider is darker than the female and has more distinct markings.
• The greatest enemy of the wolf spider is the hunting wasp.
• Wolf spiders will only bite if they are provoked.
• Wolf spiders have eight eyes that are arranged in three rows with the first two comprising of four small eyes, the second containing two larger eyes and the third row containing two medium-sized eyes.
• Like all other spiders, wolf spiders also have four pairs of legs. There are a pair of leg like palps (sensory appendages located near the mouth) that are located in front of the walking legs and are used for sperm storage in males.
• The wolf spider is blessed with a disc that is located at the back of their eyes. This enables them to see at night.
• Wolf spiders have two schemes that they use for hunting. The first one is that they wait for they prey to pass by and the second is that they actively hunt their prey.
• The wolf spider sheds its skin many times as it grows into an adult. Most of the wolf spiders live for many years.
• Wolf spiders react to vibrations that are caused by prey walking on the ground or wings beating.
• The wolf spider lives on a variety of insects, for instance, houseflies, crickets, cockroaches and sometimes the grasshopper too.
• These spiders are mostly active during the night, but they are also found active during the day along lakes and streams.
• Some species are able to walk on water using their feet and tiny hair on their body to stay afloat. This feature enables them to escape predators and also feed on small prey in the water.
• Many type of wolf spiders are found in different environments, in summer they can be found in locations like woods, open grasslands and along lakes and streams.
• The life cycle of a wolf spider is interesting. The female spider produces an egg sac that contains over a hundred eggs that she attaches to the spinnerettes at the end of the abdomen. When the spiderlings develop, the female opens the sac and the spiderlings climb onto her abdomen, holding the hair on her body. They stay like this for a week after which they disperse.