Related: Rare wolf spider presumed extinct turns up on British military base According to the Smithsonian, hunting wasps paralyze wolf spiders with a sting, drag them back to burrows and lay eggs in them so larvae hatching from the eggs have something to eat. Wolf spiders use their keen eyesight, camouflage, speedy movements and high sensitivity to vibrations to help them avoid predators such as lizards, birds and hunting wasps. Wolf spiders often jump on their prey, hold it between their legs and roll over on their backs, trapping their prey with their limbs before biting it and injecting their venom. Some species chase down and seize their prey, while others wait for prey to walk by and then ambush it. Large females may take on small amphibians and reptiles, according to BioKids. Wolf spiders eat mostly ground-dwelling insects, such as crickets and other spiders. Wolf spiders sometimes find their way into houses, usually in basements, crawl spaces and breezeways after they enter near ground level, according to Michigan State University's Plant & Pest Diagnostics. Their habitats include stream edges, gravel and low vegetation, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. These spiders spend most of their time on the ground, but they can climb trees or other objects if they need to. They are "mostly nocturnal and often mistaken for tarantulas," Sewlal said. Wolf spiders are solitary animals that typically roam alone in the night, stalking prey. Anyone who has been bitten by a brown recluse spider should seek emergency medical attention, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine. People can tell the spiders apart using size and banding patterns wolf spiders are usually larger and have banding patterns on their legs, which are absent on brown recluse spiders. Fast-moving spiders on the ground are more likely to be wolf spiders, as brown recluse spiders are very rarely seen out in the open, according to the University of Kentucky.
However, wolf spider bites can be very painful, so these critters shouldn't be picked up by hand, the University of Kentucky's Department of Entomology notes.īrown wolf spiders can be confused with more venomous brown recluse spiders, especially in houses. Bite victims may exhibit some redness or swelling, but no serious medical problems caused by a wolf spider bite have ever been reported.
According to Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, wolf spiders bite humans when they are mishandled or trapped next to the skin. Wolf spiders can bite if threatened, but their venom doesn't pose a serious danger to humans. (Image credit: Auscape/Contributor via Getty Images) Are wolf spiders dangerous? Female wolf spiders are typically larger than males.Ī wolf spider on Shark Bay in Western Australia. The Desertas wolf spider ( Hogna ingens) from Deserta Grande Island in the Atlantic Ocean is one of the largest wolf spiders and has a leg span of 4.7 inches (12 cm), according to the Bristol Zoological Society in England. Wolf spiders' size varies, and their body lengths range from about a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeter) to over an inch (3 cm) long, not including their legs. Their coloring is effective camouflage, helping them catch their prey and hide from predators. Wolf spiders are usually brown, gray, black or tan, with dark markings - most commonly stripes, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Wolf spiders are especially common in grasslands and meadows, but they also live in mountains, deserts, rainforests and wetlands - anywhere they can find insects to eat, according to the University of Michigan's BioKids website. They live around the world and are found throughout the U.S. There are nearly 2,400 wolf spider species across 125 genera, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
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