Florida Jumping Wolf Spider

Wolf spiders don t create webs like the funnel weaver.

Florida jumping wolf spider. They range between a 1 2 inch to 2 inches long wolf spiders are usually gray with brown to dark gray markings. It is important to remember that spiders seen in florida are not bound by the territorial lines decided on by humans therefore their distribution is subject to change. One clue wolf spiders give is that these are spiders you re more likely to find in your shed garage exterior closet space or basement especially if you have any water or moisture in these places. Wolf spiders belong to the family lycosidae.

They are very common and usually found on the ground where they are well camouflaged. Instead these arachnids actively hunt their victims and pounce on them. They have prominent eyes that shine in light. These spiders do not spin webs but some dig burrows or hide under debris.

Spiders found in florida include 59 unique species from confirmed sightings by contributing members of spider id. There are four species of widow spider that you might find in florida three of them native and one of them introduced. Wolf spiders possess the third best eyesight of all spider groups bettered by jumping spiders of the family salticidae which can distinguish colors and the huntsman spiders. Orb weavers the presence of colorful bodies with distinctive patterns make florida spiders in the orb weaver category among the easiest spiders to identify.

Interestingly jumping spiders don t construct webs either. A wolf spider is large and hairy. Wolf spiders hogna lenta have heavy looking bodies and long thick legs. To the untrained eye they can look like wolf spiders or grass spiders.

They can grow up to two inches in size although their heavy bodies and thick legs can make them appear bigger. They hunt for their meals. However if you are roughly handling a jumping spider that s on the larger side you can be on the receiving end of a pretty painful bite. The carolina wolf spider lycosa carolinensis at 25 mm to 35 mm is the largest in the united states.

These large hairy spiders are common in florida and cause a great deal of worry for those with arachnophobia. They are commonly found scurrying. If you cannot identify the spider no problem. Southern black widow latrodectus mactan northern black widow latrodectus various red widow latrodectus bishopi brown widow latrodectus geometricus typically a female widow spider has a glossy jet black body and a bright red mark on the underside of her.

Wolf spiders are unique in the way that they carry their eggs.