Tag Archives: Wolf Spider

Mom Wolf Spiders

A female Wolf Spider (Lycosidae) and a very dedicated mom.

The female Wolf Spider wraps her (one hundred or so) eggs in a silk sac which provides sustenance and protection. The sac is attached to her abdomen and as she goes about her daily life, she lifts up her abdomen as well as the egg sac to protect the eggs from harm.

After the babies hatch and leave their protective sac they climb their mom’s legs to the top of her abdomen. She carries them for about two weeks as they grow reaching a point where they are able to fend for themselves.

The usual life span of a male Wolf Spider is about a year. Females usually live for several years.

Oh my, nature really amazes me!

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Amazing Mom Spider

Hoping you’re not freaked out by this photo. I had to share this with you, a mother Wolf Spider (Lycosidae). AND those yellow-green dots on her back are her babies. If you look carefully at the image, you can actually see their legs.

The Wolf Spider is a different sort of mom, particularly in the spider world. She carries her eggs in a silken egg sac, attached on the spinnerets at the end of her abdomen. She goes about her normal hunting, while carrying the egg sac. Her abdomen is in a higher than normal position so she doesn’t drag and harm the eggs.

After those eggs hatch, she helps the babies out of the silken sac, and they climb onto her back, where they stay for as long as several weeks. They bring along the yolks from their eggs to eat as they are developing. If a spiderling falls off, mother spider will stop what she’s doing to rescue the little one.

There are 200 species of Wolf Spider in North America, and they all have these amazing moms.

The world of nature astounds me.

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