Wolf Spider
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
72 comments.
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Ditto the “Thanks!”, Jen & Ryan. I’ve been looking for a decent site on spiders - this is a great start. Knowing about spider bites is also extremely important.
I live in Colorado now, and believe me we have plenty of spiders. They are all over my yard and house. When I was stationed on the NW Cape in Western Australia with the US Navy back in the early ’80s, there were plenty of Wolf Spiders.
The most amazing thing was a fight we observed between a Wolf Spider and a Praying Mantis. The fight lasted at least 30~45 minutes, and for a while it was pretty close. In the end, the Wolf won. It ate the inards right out of the Mantis.
Hey! I’ve been looking for some information on wolf spiders and this site had EXACTLY what I needed. Thanks a lot!!!
I have wolf spiders all over my house. I actually moved them from my old house to my new house in one of my statues. I killed a mom without knowing it one night and the babies looked like mini-marbles scattering around. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so freaked out. Thanks for the info. At least now I know exactly what type of spider I’m dealing with.
I found this spider in my bathtub yesterday, I think it might be a wolf spider but am not completely sure.
My daughter is doing a report on Wolf Spiders and she needs to know if they are endangered, what type of food they eat and if they are considered carnavore. I was wondering if you can help us out.
Thanks
I found this wolf spider today in my living room. He/she was running very quickly, but I got him. I believe this is the Schizocosa avida, but I am not 100% sure. It might be the Alopecosa cuneata. I wonder what symptoms I would have if I got bitten by this guy.
Martin
i dont know what kind of spider keeps biting me but the bite is red and swollen and very hot inside its painful for a week .. im glad im reading all this, its gross but i need to know why they only bite me.
Laurajean, when does the “spider” bite you? Do you think it happens while you sleep? In this case it’s 100% NOT a spider. There are no parasitic spiders. What you experience is most likely a bite from an insect, probably a bedbug, a tick, or simply mosquitos.
Most spiders in the house that look like wolf spiders really are not wolf spiders. Most are Funnel Web spiders (like the common Tegenaria atrica) or Hecklemeshed Weavers. Occasionally wolf spiders and members of other families wander into the house, but they are not permanent residents.
There are almost no dangerous spiders species, despite the common opinion. Most spiders don’t even manage to penetrate human skin when they try to bit. Most also try to escape rather than bite. If you ever tried to catch a wolf spider you have noticed that it’s quite difficult because they are so fast running away from you. You have to grab and squeeze them before they bite. So bites from wolf spiders are very, very, very uncommon.
If a wolf spider manages to really bite you, it’s mostly one of the large species that actually have the power to penetrate the human skin. Smaller species like Alopecosa sp. (see above) are completely harmless.
Yes, all spiders are carnivorous. Their prey is mostly insects and other spiders. A few very large species also catch very small fish and small mammals (e.g. mice). But most species are content with the occasional fly or bug.
Michael - spiders.mhohner.de
I was bitten by a wolf spider Thursday, while weed eating. Evidently, the string kicked the grass and he/she landed on my head. It bit me on the temple. I thought that it was a sheep fly. I didn’t smack it, I put my hand on the side of my head and kind of swatted it down and I saw it hit the concrete.
Yes, I killed it. I usually believe in “live let live”. The bite burned and swelled and by Saturday it had gone down. Today is Monday and it has sort of a tingle or numb feeling. I’m sure that it was of the Wolf Spider family. I looked it up on the NC State Univ. Website and it is called the “Rabid Wolf Spider” and it looks exactly like the one in the glass, Martin caught in the living room.
Hope this helps anyone who would like to know.
Over two weeks ago I caught or killed about a dozen Wolf spiders running across the floor in my house, all within 3 days. Most of them were seen in my living room but they were found all over. This was wierd because we have never seen a spider in the house before!
I was bitten several times on my leg, hip and neck and still have some (redness) sores the size of a dime with a small central hole remaining weeks later. We had the house treated by a professional and they seemed to go away.
Today my wife saw 3 of them and now my 21 yr old daughter seems to have been bitten several times. I looked at some of the glue traps I put out and found several of them, one with a dozen baby spiders stuck all around the mother. Two questions:
1) Should we see a doctor and
2) How do I get rid of them? (I can send pictures if you wish.)
Thanks!
Dan
This past Sunday at 4 am I awoke to a feeling of something in the inside of fold of my arm and almost immediately extreme itching. I don’t remember feeling a lot of pain with the bite just like something was there.
I checked the bed covers and the floor and immediate area not to find anything but my arm became red an area larger than an 1976 silver dollar with two red bumps one on each side of the upper arm and below the fold of my arm. I believe a spider got caught in the fold of my arm and bit me. a friend who is a nurse told me to take an antihistamine.
I took loratadine 10mg. she also suggested I use ichthammol ointment to draw out the venom, which I used that night. By the next morning it was not as red but still itchy. I went to the doctor and she confirmed it was a spider bite suggested it was ten years since my last tetnus shot that I get one. She said if the area gets red with a line moving up my arm or the area feels hot to touch or I begin to run a fever I should come back because spider bites tend to get infected.
I had the tetnus shot. I had a headache later and some joint acheness. My arm is somewhat more red and itchy. My bite accured while I was at our cabin on an island on the Susquehanna river we have a lot of wolf spiders there and we set off insecticide bombs to get rid of the spiders each spring which we did but we still see some that aren’t quite dead this year.
This is now Wednesday and the spot is now about the same size somewhat red or suntanned look to it is not oozing or anything. The wolf spiders are usually about 2″ across look sort of like little robots with swivel head and large beady eyes. When I see one my husband says my scream is an American Woman scream probably heard a lot along the Susquehanna river.
This wedensday i was bit in the back of the leg bye a spider and i was wondering if you knew what web sites i can go to, to see how spider bites would look like for each spider or some of them
To Michael re: spiders “DO NOT” bite people at night: oh yes they do. Almost any site or research about spiders will tell you that they occasionally hide in bedclothes and can bite you. I was awakened by a stinging sensation on my finger one night, which developed into a necrotic bite that was most definatly inflicted by a venemous spider.
I love spiders as long as they live outside, love to watch them work their web and catch their prey—-think I was bit by one a few days ago, lots of red blisters surrounding the bite above my eyebrow and red streaks going down face, some itching and swelling, I can feel the liquid creeping under the skin, anyone have any ideas, it has been 6 days and no improvement.
Here in Texas we are surrounded with Wolf and Jumping Spiders. The bite isn’t felt at the time usually while sleeping. Typically these spiders like to bite near the hip or navel area. The bite is simialar to a fire ant, red with a bull’s eye and white pus. I have been biten more times than i can count.
Alcohol and hydrogen peroxide 2-3 times a day at affected area and ice packs help control the swelling. Do not have pest control spray your home, the dead insects after spraying actually attract brown recluse because they prefer thier meals dead. There are spider traps available which are cardboard with a glue surface; so you can see what is actually bitting you, put several under the bed.
Hi, I went on your website to check out about wolf spiders. A few weeks ago I woke up sick on my stomach and that afternoon I found I had a bite on my right temple. It was swollen and the size of a dime.
last night I got bit after I put my p.j.’s on and then this morning I had 3 more bites one is red and the size of a nickel the other the size of a dime.
I found a spider under my bed, which I thought, was a wolf spider but it is more blackish in color and smaller. It’s not a black widow so what could it be?
I got bit in the same area as Mary and went to emergency room 6 days later because of lymph gland swelling and the area on my face between the brows had raised bumps. They treated the bite with with lavaquin antibiotics, bacitricin ointment, a tetanus shot and sent me home giving clindamycin while in hospital.
The swelling has since gone and I pray the bruise to skin will heal and dissapear. I dont know for sure what bite me but it started out like the symptoms Mary described on July 8; by the way this happened when I woke on June29 2007
Note:
Lavaquin is an antibiotic used to treat a wide variety of bacterial infections including urinary tract infections, skin infections or respiratory tract infections. Levaquin is in a group of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones (flor-o-KWIN-o-lones).
Clindamycin is an antibiotic that is used to treat infections of the respiratory tract, skin, pelvis, vagina, and abdomen. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. WARNING: Clindamycin may cause colitis, an infection of the colon that can be dangerous and sometimes life-threatening. If you experience severe persistent diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, or bloody stool while taking clindamycin or within a few weeks of stopping clindamycin, call your doctor immediately. Ask your doctor about the risk of taking clindamycin.
Bacitracin Ointment helps prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes, and burns.
I found this spider and I was scared to death! My dad killed it because it was already on my shoe, under my desk…
This spider is huge and is about 6 cms in length! Here are two images, front and back:
Can anyone help me identify this spider? I am from El Salvador.
Is this spider dangerous and how do I get rid of them?
Thanks you.
Hello,
For anyone who is reading this, PLEASE look up to the picture on blogger #4’s comment. I found the same wolf spider tonight in my bathroom sink and I would REALLY appreciate it if someone could tell me what kind of spider it is (wolf spider?) and if it is dangerous.
Please and thank you!!!
Hey, I was spreading pine mulch about a month ago when I came across a wolf spider. That dirty bugger lunged at me so I did what any normal person would do and smashed it with my pitch fork!! I live in Florida, so be careful.
My friend was bitten by a spider a couple of days ago. She doesn’t remember what it looked, and stepped on it . The bite was outside during the day in the chicago suburbs. The bite is a hard nodule and is not at all red. The next day her kidneys started burning. They thought she had a kidney stone but that has since been ruled out and we are now wondering if the spider had something to do with it. Does anyone know if that is a possibiliy and if so is there anything she can do to help speed her recovery?
Griselda, I believe that “spider” is called an Amblypygid, or tailless whip scorpion. They do not have silk glands and are not venomous but can some very have prominent pincer-like pedipalps.
There is also a whip scorpion (shown below) that has the tail.
The Vinegarroon (also spelled Vinegaroon), Mastigoproctus giganteus, is a type of Whip Scorpion, an arachnid that emits a vinegar-like mist (containing mostly acetic acid). The Vinegarroon is not venomous and is not a true scorpion. It is related to spiders, true scorpions, and ticks. Classification: Class Arachnida (arachnids) , Order Uropygi (containing about 100 species of Whip Scorpions).
Vinegarroons are invertebrates that are found in the southern USA and in Mexico. Other Whip Scorpions are found in India, Japan, and New Guinea.
GRISELDA,
Hi!! I read your blog and that spider really surprised me– I’ve never seen anything like it before! So I did a whole google search for you, and I think I found it!
I think it’s called: Tailless Whipscorpions (Paraphrynus mexicanus)
Information from a google site:
Amblypygids, which include tail-less whip scorpions and whip spiders, are non-venomous, non-silk-spinning arachnids. Taxonomically they belong (along with true whip scorpions) between scorpions and spiders, having a closer affinity to the latter. They differ from the more elongate uropygids in having a rounded anterior and an elongated oval abdomen lacking a telson (tail) and poison glands, and in having the cephalothorax joined to the abdomen by a slender pedicel.
If you want to go to the site, it’s:
sasionline.org/tailless/Tailless_whip.html
Good for you! I’m really happy that (if I’m correct about the type of spider) it is non-venomous! You don’t have to worry.
Good Luck!
-Lisa
Are wolf spiders the most dangerous spider in Colorado and how can you keep them from coming into your home?
what do you do if you see one
A few days ago, I got out of the shower and grabbed my towel, started to dry off and felt something tickling my arm. I looked down to see what I think is a wolf spider, brushed it off and screamed for my husband (first sighthing of the year always does that to me.)
This morning there was another one on the same bathroom floor. We have this problem every fall, although it seems early this year. I believe they are wolf spiders but I am uncertain. They seem to pop up after it has been dark and the features I notice are very large eyes, long kinda hairy legs.
We have placed screens on the heat ducts, but don’t know how they get in. They really like bathrooms, but we do sometimes see them in other parts of the house. Could they be coming from the attic through the infrared light fixture and drop to the floor. They are almost always on the floor or wall of the shower.
Oh yeah, I live in western Washington. Next time, I will compose myself and get a picture. They are impressive spiders, but terrifying because they surprise me.
Hi just wanting to ask a question about a wolf spider bite. Should the place where you have been bitten by the spider still hurt occasionally 6 weeks after?
I wish I had photos, but I don’t, my mother and sister both got bit by a wolf spider a couple years back in florida. we had just moved right next door to an up and comming state park, so there was much wild foliage that likely held hundreds of thousands of insects, all right next to my house. we found 3 inch long wolf spiders (and many other spiders) everywhere, and my house was infested with every kind of bug in florida. we only got the house under the condition that it be treated with repellant. So a repellant was sprayed everywhere, and we “Bug Bombed” the entire house… all to no avail.
we could still go around the house at any time of day and find at least 10 spiders hiding around the house. well of course someone finally got bit, and first, it was my sister, she got bit 5 times, on either side of her left knee, and once on her left ankle, and on her right knee and right ankle. she said she encountered severe swelling, up to baseball or softball sized. the bites were fevered and oozing blood and pus. nothing could touch the bite areas or she was in extreme pain. they lasted about 3 weeks like that and lasted about 6 weeks till they fully healed. she also reported minor swelling in her lymph nodes.
But my mother got bit once under her arm pit, and the venom ran into her lymph node. she experienced searing pain and couldn’t put her arm down for anything in the world, her arm stayed perpendiculer to her body at all times. her bite area swelled to huge sizes and she went to the doctor who then lanced the bite area to drain the pus and such, and was told to keep piercing the bite area and continue draining everything inside. it finally went away… but not entirely. it kept reappearing and going away, it did that about once or twice a month for about a year or so.
Wolf spiders are nasty… and we no longer live in that house. No lawyer would take our case. we were sad. =(
Hi, I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and Ihave little dark brown/black spiders, no bigger than my husband’s thumb nail most of the time, running around my house from time to time. I wake up in the morning and they’re on the walls or scampering across the carpet. I showed a picture of the wolf spider to my husband and ask if thats what it looked like, and see said “Pretty much.” He said that it had brownish black legs, and a wishbone-type shape on his back. Any ideas what this spider is and/or how to get rid of it? …our bug bombs dont seem to be working. Also, CAN you get bit in bed?
Hey, I really need some help and i know nothing about spiders, but I know that there are a lot of Brown and black spiders all over my basement. I found one today and captured it in a jar, and it was really huge, about 2 inches long and looks like it would bite and could be a wolf spider (but a lot of the pictures i’ve seen don’t really look like it).
I’m so scared i have a niece and a nephew running around my house and them and my sister lives in the basement next to my room. I’m so scared for them, what if they get bitten? my sister’s kids are both under 3 and we have been killing them left and right, and we bought sum raid but they don’t seem to die from that stuff.
They seem to be really tough spiders and as we would spray them down, they would run extremely fast and just keep running until we lose them or until we kill them ourselves trying. They are such a pest! and i really really hate spiders. I found one on me last when i woke up and now i’m paranoid to even sleep, that’s how bad our spider problem is. Please, what is going on and what should we do about this?
That spider thats on its back the picture sent by griselda from el salvador. looks like a cave spider like the ones that got ate on fear factor las vegas episode. I dont think they are poisionous, but I could be wrong.
I live in Missouri. Tonight I saw a really big wolf spider. When I stepped on it a lot of baby spiders ran in all directions. This happened twice. It looked like the babies came out of a sack. Is it possible that they were on the large spiders legs or still in the sack?
My husband killed a wolf spider this morning when he got up for work. And when i got up to get my kids ready for school, he called a asked me to see if i seen the spider on our bedroom floor.. I said no and he told me to go look, so i did and i about fainted it was pretty big and gray colored it was a wolf spider. i was just wondering if there is anything that i can use to spray around the house that actually works i am scared to death of spiders and it is hard for me to sleep if i know they are there. I will lay in bed for hours just looking around because i know they are there, I get that feeling and i won’t sleep until i find it and kill it. So please if you know of something i can use tell me .. Thank you Kathy From iowa
I live in Co.Kerry in Ireland my sister in law is unindated with spiders coming into her house (wolf spiders), She had old sheds at the back of her house which she thought might be where they were living but they have been knocked and cleared away but they are still visiting her. I live next door and I am lucky we don’t have them. Can any one enlighten us why all of a sudden they are coming in the house and why so many. Mind you I am not saying they are coming in droves there is a few every day a few too many Thank you Linda from Co.Kerry
Recently I got bit by what i believe was a wolf spider. It was too painful to be a mosquito bite and the bite was very painful and felt unusually warm to the touch. The swell was full of a clear/yellowish fluid that drains quickly but refills within a matter of hours. There are two small punctures in the middle of it resembling needle pricks, it has been 3 weeks now and there is still a large lump on my finger where it bit me. No sickness came from the bite but it is very painful.
Being in the USMC I am in the field a lot so there is no telling what bit me. We spend a lot of time in the blue ridge mountains in Virginia training so it has to be a species indiginous to those regions. If anyone has any clue please let me know.
Thanks!
There are a lot of wolf spiders that i have found in my laundry down stairs. I have been bitten once by one and except from the swelling i was fine. Although i have three small children one is four months old, another is 21 months old and the oldest is four, if one of them was to be bitten could the bite harm them in any way
I have worked in pest control for over a year now, and have found that in most instances, any spider that bites you will leave some sort of swelling and redness. My boss was bitten by a wolf spider and his hand was disturbed for several weeks!
I woke up and discovered that my foot was covered with dry blood, several thin lines of dry blood around my ankle. I washed it off and realized that there were 2 puncture marks and some light swelling and the area was tender to the touch - see photo below:
I had this happening before about 3 years ago, but on my eyelid. I left 2 small scares. I am afraid to go to bed at night, because I have no idea what it could be. I spray poison against insects every few weeks. My bedroom is in the second floor and our house is surrounded by woods. I have seen small black scorpions, all kind of spiders and snakes in our garden.
Can someone help to identify what this bitemark can be from (perhaps a wolf spider?). One more thing: After I rinsed my foot off this morning, it still oozed blood and a watery substance.
Please help!!!
i think that wolf spiders are scary!! i found one today in my dogs water bowl and it was awful so my dad decided to freeze it !!
i hope that it won’t hurt me and by the way im am 11!!
I also think that you should maybe get medical treatment and stay away from your garden for at least 2 to 3 weeks and see what happens. don’t touch it or scratch it, it will make it worse.
I do think that that is a wolf spider bite!! GOOD LUCK!! STAY SAFE!!
well today i found one in my hose by the door by where my dog was slepping these wolf spiders are pretty scarry!!!!!!!!!!!
well i have this project and i need to know if the wolf spider is endangered and if it carries anydisease?
I’m in FL and I actually have a bite right now from a wolf spider and this is the 4th and WORST one. I had 3 others on my legs. They all started out small and a little irchy and after a day or so got about silver dollar sized, hard, and extremely painful. This last one is on my belly and I had to go get it cut open and drained and packed with gauze and now I’m on antibiotics and hurting and miserable. Don’t be fooled into thinking these spiders are in any way harmless, they’ll DEFINITELY bite! It’s been about a week and a half and I go every other day to have the abscess repacked and redressed. it’s a painful process and I sure hope it all heals up soon. So just wanted let you all know to BE CAREFUL around those wolf spiders!
I was watching tv when i saw a large spider crawl across the floor it cought my eye so i looked up to see what i thought was a wolf spider. It was about the size of a cricket and it scared me out of my pants. My dad just got home and can’t find the little demond. Should i be worried? Can it hurt you? Im worried one of my cats ate it. Could that hurt them?
I live in Greater Vancouver, BC … grew up in Calgary Alberta… never before had I seen the likes of the spiders since moving here!!! omg… some of them have been 6 inches across… YES!
6 inches… I guess our lovely ‘wet’ coast weather makes em bigger. I have been bitten by wolf spiders but only the smaller ones with them leaving just a welt. My husband was bitten by a wolf spider of a fair size (he wasn’t able to catch it but him and his son did see it scurry away) which made him bleed and all the next day he had chest pains. He refused to go to the doctor.
As much as I hate spiders I do watch them late in the summer. They are a good barometer of the coming winter. This is an old prairie farmer trick I learned from my mother… if you spot spiders in your house in the late summer (august) it will be a harsh winter… if you spot them near the end of september it will be a mild winter … works every time for me!
One house we lived in had major spider problems… my mother had pest control come in and spray which took care of the problem for about a year. Currently I am nursing a hobo spider bite…
And btw cats know better than to eat poisonous spiders… they will play with them until they are dead but they won’t eat them.
I have found enough in my bed that I actually lift the covers and pillows every night before I get in. That’s when my husband gets woken up!
are wolf spiders found in ohio?
I was wondering if wolf spiders were found in Wisconsin? And when you get bit, do they always get full of pus? Can the bite just be two fang-like marks, or do they always get swollen?
And when you get bit does it just leave two fang-like marks or do they always get full of pus?
I caught a wolf spider the other day in my shed. I got a big cadge for it and i give it food 2 times a day.It eats fly’s,ands, and small insects.its about 1 inches long its brown and hairy and has stripes on it’s back. It hasn’t bitten me yet.
A week ago I had an itch on my right lateral calf. I scratched it lightly three or four times. It then started to tingle and become very painful. I looked at the area and freaked out because the vein in my calf where I scratched swelled up and was literally visible from under my skin. That vein measured 7 centimeters in width, and around 15 centimeters in length.
At first I thought maybe I had a blood clot, (I’m an RN) and asked my friend to watch me if I were to start having difficulty breathing etc. About two hours later the vein went down in size, and I was left with a huge purple bruise and pain.
I saw the picture of the brown recluse spider bite and it resembles that very much, however, there is no necrotic tissue (thank God) but the area has a “red white and blue” look to it. It is painful to the touch, but the bruise is fading, but not like typical bruises do by turning green, then fading completely. My concern is this: I have my three month old grandson living with me, and if whatever bit me did that to me, I can just imagine if he were to get bit.
I never did see any culprits after this occurred. I wish I would have taken a picture, but unfortunately I did not.
Any thoughts from anyone out there?
Thanks. And by the way, I live in central Iowa, and I have co-habituated with wolf spiders for years, and yes I squash them, and yes I do believe they are aggressive and nasty.
Lisa from Iowa
I dont want that lady saying thank god anymore, because it is only her fault that she got bitten, and nobody elses. If she wouldnt have gotten bitten then she wouldnt have to be talking of gods name. So next time be a little more responsible and dont get bitten.
George From Lansing