Baby wolf spider
Wolf spiders are one of the most common spiders. They are large, about 1-3 inches (10-30 mm). Most wolf spiders stay on the ground. Some will climb up plants, but most stay low under things such as stones or by burrowing underground in tunnels or deep burrows which they dig. Most wolf spiders will hunt during the day or on warm nights. They have a highly developed sense of touch and very good vision. They have two large eyes and below the large eyes they have four smaller eyes in a row. They have three tarsal claws.
When mating, males will wave their pedipalps in a rhythmic pattern as they approach their mate. The female will attach her large egg sac to her spinnerets. If this sac falls off, the female spider will get the sac and reattach it to her spinnerets again. If she loses the sac and cannot reattach it, she may attach other foreign objects to her spinnerets. When the eggs hatch, the young spiderlings will climb onto their mother's back. If they fall off, the spiderlings will climb back up their mother's leg and onto her back once again. The mother wolf spider carries her young around on her back, gently brushing them away from her eyes.
There are about 2,000 to 3,000 species of wolf spiders known to man. About 200 of them can be found north of Mexico. Some keep wolf spiders as pets.
Baby wolf spider
Adult Wolf Spider with its babies on its back
Adult wolf spiders
The following photos are of wolf spiders that were fished out of a swimming pool. These spiders were submerged in water and were already dead when they were photographed. The pool had a solar cover on top of it and the spiders must have gotten trapped under the cover.
The back end of this spider was bleeding a bit.
