Wolf spider

The wolf spider is a spider of the family Lycosidae. Except for the genus Sosippus, these spiders do not use their silk to make a snare. Some use their silk to line a tubular tunnel in the ground. Some take regular shelter in natural crevices. Still others spend their entire lives wandering around with no fixed abode. Unlike many other spiders, they have good vision and run their prey down. Wolf spiders are made more easy to spot because the females carry their eggs along with them in a spherical silk bag which is attached to their spinnerets. After the eggs hatch the large numbers of tiny spiders climb onto the mother's abdomen and are carried about for a considerable time.

The background is a half-inch grid. This Carolina Wolf Spider (Lycosa carolinensis), is the largest wolf spider in North America and was photographed in North Carolina, USA.

For more information, see How to Know the Spiders, by B. J. Kaston, Dubuque, Iowa, 1953.