Greetings fellow foxies
The wolf spider (genus Lycosidae) is the most commonly seen spider in the garden. They are less visible in the bush during the day, but their gleaming eyes are visible at night by torch light.
Wolf spiders are robust, agile hunters that live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows. They have eight eyes, four small ones lower down on the face, two large eyes above looking forward and two large eyes further back looking upward.
The surface colours are mostly browns and greys with some distinctive surface markings. One pair of eyes is unusually large. Lycosids live in burrows in the ground but frequently leave their burrows to stalk ground-dwelling insects. Females sometimes drag an egg sac behind them or carry their spiderlings on their back. Spiders occupying their burrows will often be seen just inside the entrance, which is sometimes fitted with a door or a collar of leaf litter.
The huge mum below with her spiderlings were nearly sucked up by the vacuum cleaner today.
The wolf spider (genus Lycosidae) is the most commonly seen spider in the garden. They are less visible in the bush during the day, but their gleaming eyes are visible at night by torch light.
Wolf spiders are robust, agile hunters that live on the ground in leaf litter or burrows. They have eight eyes, four small ones lower down on the face, two large eyes above looking forward and two large eyes further back looking upward.
The surface colours are mostly browns and greys with some distinctive surface markings. One pair of eyes is unusually large. Lycosids live in burrows in the ground but frequently leave their burrows to stalk ground-dwelling insects. Females sometimes drag an egg sac behind them or carry their spiderlings on their back. Spiders occupying their burrows will often be seen just inside the entrance, which is sometimes fitted with a door or a collar of leaf litter.
The huge mum below with her spiderlings were nearly sucked up by the vacuum cleaner today.
Other spiders may be mistaken for wolf spiders. To see this group click here
 Female with egg mass attached to her abdomen |  |  |