Carolina Wolf Spider

Hogna carolinensis is the largest wolf spider in North America, with adult females reaching 35-45 mm in body length. Like all wolf spiders (family Lycosidae), they don't build webs — they hunt on foot, sprinting after prey with the speed and pursuit-style of an actual wolf, hence the family name. Wolf spiders are famous for two distinctive behaviors. First: maternal care that's extreme for an arachnid. Females carry their egg sac attached to their spinnerets for weeks. When the eggs hatch, the mother allows the hundreds of newly-hatched spiderlings to climb up onto her abdomen, where they ride for 1-3 weeks until ready to disperse. Second: their tapetum lucidum (eye reflector) is unusually bright. A flashlight swept across a meadow at night reveals dozens of wolf spider eyes glowing back as bright green-blue points. Researchers use this technique to census wolf spider populations. The species' bite is medically insignificant to humans — venom causes minor local swelling.