Wolf spiders are so named because, like wolves, they hunt for their prey. They can grow to be rather large and often startle those who come across them. Including their legs, wolf spiders can sometimes reach as large as five inches. In fact, people occasionally mistake them for tarantulas.
Wolf spiders are commonly found in the United States and Canada. Although they primarily live outdoors, they can be seen in homes when searching for prey.
They are usually brown in color or a combination of brown, gray, or black. They bear lighter colored striping down the center, or sometimes appear with the reverse coloration of a lighter body and darker stripe. Their legs are solid in color.
The female wolf spider's body measures 3/8″ to 1-3/8″ while the male is smaller, around ¼” to ¾”. These spiders are hairy and have long, bristly legs with three claws at the end of each.
Because of the fact that wolf spiders are hunters, they do not use webs to catch prey. Rather, they will go in search of food, which consists of insects and other spiders. However, wolf spiders do create places to retreat, usually a burrow or tunnel-type area that they dig on the ground, under leaves, rocks, wood piles, and the like.
Wolf spiders mate in the fall, though the males generally do not survive the winter. An interesting fact about wolf spiders is that the female will carry her egg sac attached to the spinnerets on her abdomen rather than attaching it to a web. Once the spiderlings hatch in late spring, they will crawl onto her back until they disperse several days later.
In spite of their menacing appearance, wolf spiders are not harmful to humans. Their bite is not known to cause any serious health complications and is about like that of a bee sting. Wolf spiders are not aggressive and usually do not bite people unless they are trapped or pinned down.