Alberta wolf spider - running faster than the prey

Alberta wolf spider.  There are 50 species of wolf spider in Alberta alone.

What has eight legs, eight eyes, and runs like the wind?  A wolf spider.  Although their venom is not poisonous to humans (outside of mild irritation), their bite is fatal to the prey they catch.  Eating insects about their size or smaller, their method of attack is to run the organism down.  Wolf spiders do not spin webs to assist in catching prey.  Rather, their nimble bodies and good eyesight allow them to track and kill would-be meals.  

Most spiders have eight eyes, including wolf spiders.  They have two large eyes facing forward. These are used to track prey and are used at night when light is low.  Wolf spiders' eyes glow in the dark when a light is shone on them.  There is a cool photo here that you can see the effect (if you dare!).  They have another four beneath the large pair that help with picking up motion.  The last pair, located laterally on the sides of the head, assist with navigation and probably helps detect motion or shadows.

Wolf spiders lay eggs and enclose them in a silky protective layer.  They keep the eggs attached to their spinnerets until they hatch.  They assist the young as they emerge from their encasement, upon which they crawl onto their mother's back.  The mother has specialized hairs on her back to help the young hold onto her.  They stay up there for one up to several weeks until they are mature enough to leave.  

The interesting thing here is that the young do not eat while staying with their mom.  Instead, part of the yolk sack from their egg remains attached to them and they continuously absorb nutrients from that.  Once the contents of the egg sack have been absorbed, they are old enough to be on their own.  To see a photo of a mother with her babies on board, click here.

The fact that wolf spiders are hairy, fast, and relatively large makes them a hated discovery in one's home.  However, they are protecting you from a host of other invertebrates that would likely be invading your premises.  Leave them alone, you'll be all the better off because of them.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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