Wolf Spiders are ferocious creatures when it comes to hunting their prey. Unlike other spiders that make webs to catch prey, Wolf Spiders are excellent hunters. They usually ambush under the leaves, inside the burrows and mud, and attack the prey once they sense a passing prey.
Do Wolf spiders jump? Wolf spiders do not jump! Instead, they swoop or pounce briskly using their long, highly agile legs.
Wolf Spiders pounce when needed, especially to capture their prey and in times of danger. For example, when they sense an imminent lethal threat from a predator or need an escape from female wolf spiders after mating.
The Wolf spider is not a single type of spider. Instead, it is a family of spiders that consists of many spiders, including Rabid, Carolina, Hogna Antelucana, and Tigrosa Helluo Wolf spider.
Some of the species of Wolf spiders, including Carolina and Rabid Wolf Spiders, have fast running speeds while others are slow. However, sudden quick, and aggressive pouncing is a common feature among all. The ability to rapidly pounce and capture its prey has gained them the name “Wolf Spiders.”
Before you read further, here is a list of hand-picked books to learn more about the world of spiders and bugs.
- Field Reference with technical details
- Great Illustrations
- For Kids 5-7 Years
- Amazing realistic photos
- Scientific Details
- Spiders and other common bugs
Do Wolf spiders jump? Explained
Nature is pretty fascinating and never ceases to amaze us. For example, many organisms, including arthropods, are equipped with the ability to jump.
Jumping is a swift action in which one lifts itself from a surface for a brief amount of time and then hits the surface back. It is a highly sophisticated characteristic that requires a well-developed and highly organized interplay of the nervous and muscular systems.
Interestingly, Wolf spiders do not have the ability to jump. Simply put, they can’t lift their body from a surface and become airborne. However, they have the ability to swoop or pounce from the surface.
Pouncing is different from jumping because, in pouncing, the organism moves through the air but from a high surface to a low one. But in jumping, the organism has the ability to move from a lower to a higher surface.
Wolf spiders are equipped with pouncing or swooping, which is inferior to jumping. However, because wolf spiders do not make a web, they use pouncing to catch prey or escape from an imminent threat.
The ability of Wolf spiders to pounce or swoop on the prey has earned them the nickname “Wolf.” Once they see prey, they quickly move in a fast fashion to catch it. After the Wolf spider controls the prey, it crushes the prey with mighty jaws called chelicerae.
Do you know that the spiders that belong to the family Salticidae have an excellent ability to jump?. This is the largest family of spiders and contains approximately 600 species.
How do Wolf Spiders Pounce?
Have you ever wondered why the legs of Wolf spiders are hairy? They are not just there to make them look aggressive and dangerous but have a fundamental purpose. The hairs help sense the slightest movement in the vicinity and help them locate the prey.
Once a prey moves into the area where the wolf spider has ambushed itself, it quickly senses the prey and moves towards it. The wolf spider aggressively pounces with the help of its long legs.
The Wolf spider retracts all its legs, then briskly move them like a recoiling spring. This gives Wolf spiders an extraordinary speed and advantage over the prey, helping them pounce or swoop on the prey immediately.
If the Wolf spider is unsuccessful in grasping the prey, it chases the prey for a short distance and then moves back to its dwelling to become stealthy for another chance.
Do Wolf Spiders Jump on Humans?
Nature has equipped every living organism with a defense system that helps the organism defend its life and keep the ecosystem in balance.
Wolf spiders are no stranger to defense when it comes to their life. Some wolf spiders, such as the Carolina wolf spider, produce venom with a highly potent lycotoxin that can paralyze the predator.
However, it is interesting to know that Wolf spiders are scared of humans and usually run away when they see them. That is why they do not attack humans or any other large animal.
Moreover, Wolf spiders do not have the ability to jump, so it’s intrinsically not possible for them to jump on humans. However, if the wolf spider is intimidated, it might attack back and bite.
The bite of a wolf spider is usually trivial and has no serious consequences until and unless you have a severe allergy to them. If you are bitten by a wolf spider and have a known allergy to them, seek medical help as soon as possible.
Another interesting scenario is when wolf spiders kept as pets jump on the owners. This is nothing serious as the spiders usually jump out of affection and do not pose any added threat.
References:
- Prey and predators of the Wolf spider Lycosa lugubris
- Distribution, Movement, and Activity Patterns of an Intertidal Wolf Spider Pardosa Lapidicina Population
- Wolf spider feeding strategies
- Bionomics and behavior of the wolf spider
- Wolf Spider Sociobiology
Additional Read!