139: Wolf Spiders
We’re back! I was working on some other projects in January and February, but I’m excited to get back into Colorado wildlife with today’s animal, Wolf Spiders. These spiders are from the family Lycosidae, from the Greek word for wolf, known for their excellent eyesight, solitary lifestyles, and the fact that they do not spin webs. Two of their eight eyes are larger than the others and sit prominently at the front of the head.
There are a LOT of wolf spiders out there, like, a lot, and in Colorado we have five species:
Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis)
Tigrosa grandis
Schizocosa mccooki
Geolycosa missouriensis
Hogna frondicola
The Carolina wolf spider is the largest spider in Colorado. I found one in my parents’ basement when I was a teenager that was the size of a Cool Whip container (I managed to get it in there and take it to school for show and tell; in retrospect the spider probably did not appreciate this, but did make it home with me again where I released it). The spider I drew below is a male Carolina wolf spider, with its reddish chelicerae (mouth parts) and mottled black and grey coloration; females are brown. Females are also larger than males, and carry their young on their backs.
These spiders are often mistaken for tarantulas, and some people find them to be scary, however, like most spiders, they are generally harmless to humans (if frightened, they can provide a very mild bite, but will generally choose to run away). In fact, they are very helpful to have around the house as they eat other species that are a lot peskier – like mosquitoes, roaches, etc. In college, my house had a real roach problem and we encouraged every spider we found to go forth and thrive in the roach zone in the hopes of protecting us (sadly the roaches outnumbered the spiders). Wolf spiders are large enough that they can also hunt small lizards and reptiles, moving quickly to inject their prey with venom that liquefies their organs so the spider can suck them out like a tasty smoothie.