Hogna carolinensis
Encyclopedia
Hogna carolinensis, also known as the Carolina wolf spider, is usually regarded as the largest of the wolf spider
s found in North America. The body length of females is typically 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in), and the body length of males is typically around 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in). Members of this species are known to live in burrows that they dig.
The undersides of the cephalothax and the abdomen are both solid black. Their large eyes reflect light well, so that they are sometimes hunted at night using a flashlight.
While the appearance of these spiders may seem rather forbidding, they are not inclined to bite. They flee anything larger than themselves, and generally will bite humans only if they feel threatened and are unable to escape. They do have large fangs that can create mechanical injury to other creatures, but their venom is not regarded as medically significant. A bite by one of them is sometimes described as about as painful as the sting of a bee or wasp.
These spiders are large enough to easily capture grasshoppers, crickets, and other such large agricultural pests. They are ambush predators that may wander about after dark in search of prey. They are poor climbers, so that in nature they generally remain on the ground, hidden under natural shelters such as the edges of rocks, or in their own burrows. When they enter human habitations, usually with the onset of cooler weather in autumn, they usually remain on the floor. The safe way to remove these spiders and return them to the wild is to put something like an inverted plastic bowl over them and then slide a cookie sheet or stiff paper under the bowl. The whole thing can be carried outdoors where the spider can be released to continue hunting or to find a natural shelter for itself.
Wolf spider
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word "" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with good eyesight. They live mostly solitary lives and hunt alone. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short...
s found in North America. The body length of females is typically 25 millimetre (0.984251968503937 in), and the body length of males is typically around 19 mm (0.748031496062992 in). Members of this species are known to live in burrows that they dig.
The undersides of the cephalothax and the abdomen are both solid black. Their large eyes reflect light well, so that they are sometimes hunted at night using a flashlight.
While the appearance of these spiders may seem rather forbidding, they are not inclined to bite. They flee anything larger than themselves, and generally will bite humans only if they feel threatened and are unable to escape. They do have large fangs that can create mechanical injury to other creatures, but their venom is not regarded as medically significant. A bite by one of them is sometimes described as about as painful as the sting of a bee or wasp.
These spiders are large enough to easily capture grasshoppers, crickets, and other such large agricultural pests. They are ambush predators that may wander about after dark in search of prey. They are poor climbers, so that in nature they generally remain on the ground, hidden under natural shelters such as the edges of rocks, or in their own burrows. When they enter human habitations, usually with the onset of cooler weather in autumn, they usually remain on the floor. The safe way to remove these spiders and return them to the wild is to put something like an inverted plastic bowl over them and then slide a cookie sheet or stiff paper under the bowl. The whole thing can be carried outdoors where the spider can be released to continue hunting or to find a natural shelter for itself.