June 15th, 2006
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The wolf spider is a member of the Lycosidae family, the order Aranedia. There are around 125 species that are found in the United States and about 50 species that are found in Europe. A full grown wolf spider is typically a half an inch to two inches in length; they are usually brown or gray with various stripe-like markings on their backs. The markings are sometimes called Union Jack Impressions.? Wolf spiders are also very hairy.
Wolf Spiders
The eye arrangement of the wolf spider is one of its most interesting features; they have four small eyes in the bottom row, followed by two large eyes in the middle row, and two medium eyes in the top row. They received the name wolf spider due to an early belief that the spiders would actually hunt their prey in a group. Some other names for the wolf spider are the ground spider and the hunting spider. Wolf spiders do not actually make webs; instead they hunt for its meal. They are most commonly found throughout Australia. They make homes by digging holes or living under rocks. The wolf spider will often cover the burrow with leaves or grass.
During the beginning of fall, the wolf spider is quite often found in the home. The reason for this is that they are looking for a warm place to live throughout the course of the winter season.
The wolf spider would most likely be seen running across the ground, during the daytime. They search for their prey during both day and night. They have both excellent vision and touch. However, due to the fact the wolf spider is known as shy, if it’s disturbed it will quickly run away.
The mother wolf spider will usually carry around her egg sacs with them, which can tend to be on the large side. After they hatch, the newborn spiders will actually ride around on their mother’s back until they are about halfway grown.
Wolf Spider Bite
Even though the wolf spider is poisonous, its venom is not lethal. The wolf spider is not known to be aggressive; however, they will bite if they feel like they are in harm or danger. They also move extremely fast when they are disturbed. If bitten by a wolf spider, the wound should not be bandaged but an ice pack should be placed on the bite so that the swelling will go down. And if necessary the victim should avoid any movement if at all possible. It is extremely important that one sees medical attention if bitten by a wolf spider or any other spider.
Written by Jim on June 15th, 2006 with 56 comments.
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There are many different types of garden spider, most of the time these spiders are found in the lawn or garden but can also be found within the home as well. Garden spiders include the following: meshweb spiders, crab spiders, running crab spiders, wolf spiders, nursery web spiders, comb-footed spiders, stretch spiders, orb-web spiders, sheet web spiders, dwarf spiders, sac spiders, and buzzing spiders. Most all of garden spiders are orb weaving, which basically means that they are known for their orb looking webs.
The most prominent time for a garden spider is during the fall. The main difference between the variations of the garden spider mostly has to do with their appearance and there are in fact quite a few similarities.
Garden Spiders
The garden spiders weave large flat webs suspended between plants, across paths, along window and door frames. They are generally found outdoors, although they may find their way indoors as fall progresses to winter. Some garden spiders tend to prefer wooded and shrubby areas, while others prefer sunny areas around houses and tall grasses. The Garden spider is actually most noted for spinning webs.
There are many different types of garden spiders, as listed above, however two common species are the European garden spider and the Argiope garden spider. The European garden spider is recognized by its large tan and gray body with mottled tan or brown markings across the back, which is also highlighted by five or more large white dots forming a cross like shape. The Argiope usually is yellow or black with two rows of three white spots along its back. The Argiope also spins their web with a very unusual zigzag pattern in the center of it.
The Final Act!
The female garden spider will sometimes eat the male spider after mating, but not usually. Rather the male garden spiders will usually mate with several females, and then often die from starvation and exhaustion, since they spend little effort feeding while searching for females.
The garden spiders diet consists of whatever they can catch in their webs. The garden spider will eject poison into their prey and eat almost all of it, eventually sucking out the liquefied contents of their prey’s body. The Garden Spiders is not aggressive and they are not poisonous to humans. Because they are not aggressive spiders, it is rare that one would actually bite a human. In some circumstances if they feel threatened or if they are pressed up against human skin, in that rare occasion they might bite a human. Even though garden spiders are not poisonous it is still important to seek medical attention, just in case the species of the spider is not identifiable.
Written by Jim on June 15th, 2006 with 23 comments.
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The jumping spider is from the family Salticidae, in the order Araneae, and in the class of Arachnida. The name jumping spider? really refers to most any group of hunting spiders that have the ability to jump or leap anywhere from 10 all the way to 40 times their own body length. Depending the specie, the spider will either jump or walk. There are around 4,000 described species for the jumping spider alone making it the largest of all other spider species. More than 300 of those species are found in the United States and about 75 species are found in Europe. 
The jumping spider averages at about 2 cm in length; the female spider is typically larger than the male. The jumping spider is also well known for its appearance and because of it they are easily spotted. Jumping spiders are typically brightly colored, have very outstanding patterns, and are also hairy and sometimes stocky. All together the jumping spider has four pair of eyes, two of which give it extremely sharp vision; so sharp that it actually allows it to see better than almost any animal the same size. All of the jumping spider’s eyes allow it to have a 360-degree eyesight, and on top of that the jumping spider also has the ability to turn its breast around 45 degrees.
Jumping Spiders
The jumping spider is typically found in tropic regions. The tropic regions that they are found in are very different, anywhere from the rain forest to the Himalayas. The jumping spider can be found anywhere in these climates, if its day the spider can be found on the ground, on rocks, in the grass, or on trees. At night or if it is raining, the jumping spider will hide under rocks or a small web.
Because of the jumping spider’s good eyesight, their prey can be noticed anywhere from 30 to 40 cm away. At this point, the jumping spider actually scans their prey; in fact their eyesight is similar to that of a zoom lens on a camera. When the prey is registered as eatable, the jumping spider will move closer. The jumping spider even catches prey much bigger than its own size. The jumping spider does not use webs to catch its prey, but they do attach a line of silk to their prey in case they happen to fall. When the jumping spider is within good distance of their prey they will actually jump or pounce on it.
Jumping Spider Bite
The jumping spider is often mistaken for being dangerous, but in reality they are not. The jumping spider is not poisonous to humans. Like a wolf spider, the jumping spider typically does not attack humans unless they feel threatened or in danger. The only way a jumping spider bite may be hazardous is if the person bitten is allergic to spider venom, and because of that it is extremely important to consult medical attention when bitten by a spider, especially if the spider is unidentified.
Written by Jim on June 15th, 2006 with 3 comments.
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