The Wolf Spider has a lot of characteristics. One of which is their size. Wolf Spiders grow from about ½ inches to about 2 inches. The Wolf Spider is a brownish grayish. They are always mistaken for the Brown Recluse. The way you can tell is that they do not have the violin-shaped mark just above their head. They also have lots and lots of lines all over their body and legs. Wolf Spiders can also range at about the largest spiders in Nebraska. Wolf Spiders do not have deadly venom but they do attack viciously. If they are disturbed Wolf Spiders will run off. The role that the wolf spider plays in the food web is predator/prey.

 

Wolf Spiders can be found anywhere in the world. Usually, they are found in small dark places. Like in a garage or in an attic. They are most common in places like Australia. This animal has lots of predators. The way this spider evades being eaten is that they run away fast or they blend into their environment.

 

This type of spider sometimes travels in a pack like real wolves and ambushes its prey or runs down its prey. Its prey is earwigs, ants, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, roaches and other spiders. The wolf spider uses its legs to hold its prey down then crushes with its jaws. Their predators are coyotes, screech owls, elf owls and various predatory insects, including a predatory wasp. If the spider is caught then the wasp stings the wolf spider into paralysis. This spider is a very interesting animal that uniquely eats its prey and evades its enemies. I learned that the wolf spider does not have toxic venom or spin webs to catch its prey but it does bite furiously and painful.

 

Author: Joseph V

Published: 03/2008

 

Sources: http://www.ento.okstate.edu/ddd/insects/wolfspider.htm

Photo Credits: http://www.usq.edu.au/spider/find/spiders/images/441B10.jpg