Anyone who has been bitten by a brown recluse spider should seek emergency medical attention, according to MedlinePlus (opens in new tab), a service of the National Library of Medicine. People can tell the spiders apart using size and banding patterns wolf spiders are usually larger and have banding patterns on their legs, which are absent on brown recluse spiders. Fast-moving spiders on the ground are more likely to be wolf spiders, as brown recluse spiders are very rarely seen out in the open, according to the University of Kentucky. However, wolf spider bites can be very painful, so these critters shouldn't be picked up by hand, the University of Kentucky's Department of Entomology (opens in new tab) notes.īrown wolf spiders can be confused with more venomous brown recluse spiders, especially in houses. Bite victims may exhibit some redness or swelling, but no serious medical problems caused by a wolf spider bite have ever been reported. According to Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences (opens in new tab), wolf spiders bite humans when they are mishandled or trapped next to the skin. Wolf spiders can bite if threatened, but their venom doesn't pose a serious danger to humans. (Image credit: Auscape/Contributor via Getty Images) (opens in new tab) Are wolf spiders dangerous? Female wolf spiders are typically larger than males.Ī wolf spider on Shark Bay in Western Australia. The Desertas wolf spider ( Hogna ingens) from Deserta Grande Island in the Atlantic Ocean is one of the largest wolf spiders and has a leg span of 4.7 inches (12 cm), according to the Bristol Zoological Society (opens in new tab) in England. ![]() Wolf spiders' size varies, and their body lengths range from about a quarter of an inch (0.6 centimeter) to over an inch (3 cm) long, not including their legs. ![]() Their coloring is effective camouflage, helping them catch their prey and hide from predators. ![]() Wolf spiders are usually brown, gray, black or tan, with dark markings - most commonly stripes, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation (opens in new tab). Wolf spiders are especially common in grasslands and meadows, but they also live in mountains, deserts, rainforests and wetlands - anywhere they can find insects to eat, according to the University of Michigan's BioKids (opens in new tab) website. They live around the world and are found throughout the U.S. Fishing spiders carry their egg sacs in their jaws, swim in and walk on water, don't carry their babies on their backs, and don't have the two large forward-facing eyes.There are nearly 2,400 wolf spider species across 125 genera, according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (opens in new tab) (ITIS). ![]() Similar species: Tarantulas are much larger and heavier. Also, wolf spiders run smoothly over the ground and often hunt at night, while jumpers hunt in plants during the day, move jerkily, and jump great distances. But unlike jumpers, wolf spiders have a row of four small eyes below the four larger ones. The eye configuration is similar to that of jumping spiders: The two center eyes of the top row are enlarged. Later, she carries her babies on her back. These are athletic spiders that don’t spin webs to catch their prey instead, they run it down. They have long legs and are usually gray, brown, black, or tan with dark brown or black body markings (especially stripes).Ī female wolf spider carries her egg sac in a unique way: She attaches it to her spinnerets at the bottom rear of her abdomen. Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae.
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