![]() The four in a row can have two larger ones in the middle and two smaller ones outside, but regardless, there are four. It has eight eyes total, with four in a row on the bottom, two large eyes above, and two medium sized eyes spaced out on the top and sides of its head. ![]() The best way to ID a wolf spider is by its eyes (yes, I know you don't want to get close enough to see its eyes but this is the best way, really). What to look for in North America.or "My what big eyes you have" They put them on treadmills and then showed them "model predators." Who makes this stuff up?! You can read about one group that researched their sprint speed and flight. Scientists love these spiders because they're big and easy to track. However, they're really shy and avoid people. They can grow up to the size of a human hand. The biggest wolf spider is Hogna carolinensis,and let me tell you the adults looks big enough to saddle up and ride.Wolf spiders can range in size from something like the number on a watch face to the inside palm of your hand (2.5-35 mm).We've got about 240 species in 21 genera (groups) in North America (this number changes regularly because they're constantly being reclassified).Here are some quick facts about wolf spider species, size, and numbers: (Photo: Flicker Sharing, E_Monk) Yes they can get big So let's get down to some real wolf spider facts and pictures. They do pounce on prey but not quite like a wolf does. ![]() In the case of spiders, bugs and other small creatures, this particular family name is misleading because wolf spiders the world around are really solitary and don't like hunting in packs. Any time you see an "a" after a Greek name it means the critter is a predator, it eats meat. But no.a biologist long ago thought that wolf spiders hunted like wolves, in packs, and they named the family " Lycosidae." This comes from the Greek " lycosa" meaning wolf. If they were called "floofy brown Betsies" or "hairy teddy bears" then most folks would probably just chalk them up to big brown things that happen to saunter through now and again. Wolf spiders are the ones that have a bad reputation because they're big and brown and easy to see, and they have a fierce sounding name so people remember them. Have you ever been out with friends, and you see a big hairy spider and someone yells, "wolf spider!"? Now the thing is, there are lots and lots of big brown spiders out there (and "big" is relative to how much you hate spiders too). Such a high degree of parental care is relatively unusual among spiders.Wolf Spider Facts and Pictures Wolf spider (Hogna Lenta) (Photo: Wiki Commons) Is it Really the Big Bad Wolf? When the spiderlings hatch, they are carried around on the female's back until they are ready to disperse by ballooning or on the ground. The female constructs an egg sac of white papery silk, shaped like a ball with an obvious circular seam, which she then carries around attached with strong silk to her spinnerets. The shape and materials used to form burrows and trapdoors may help to distinguish similar-looking species. Burrows of the Grey Wolf Spider ( Dingosa simsoni) have a circular trap door that is often left open when the spider is out hunting. In woodlands, twigs may be used to form a palisade around the top of the burrow. Arid zone species build turrets to deflect floodwaters during rainy periods, while others use pebbles to plug their burrows. Most Wolf Spiders are wanderers but some build burrows, either open or with a trapdoor, while others may make temporary retreats in vegetation. Venatrix lapidosa will take small toads and frogs while Allocosa obscuroides has been noted biting and killing a large toad within one hour. According to the Queensland Museum, two Wolf spider species are known to be predators of cane toads. Wolf Spiders mostly feed on small ground dwelling invertebrates, predominately insects, but will attack small vertebrates if given the opportunity.
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