Scientific Classification

Family: Lycosidae
Order: Araneae
Class: Arachnida

          Description

Wolf spiders are brown-grey in colour, and have black markings down their back. They are slightly hairy with long legs. Their two top eyes are larger than the bottom four. Their fangs are normally around two millimetres long. The spiders themselves can grow to two inches in length.

          Habitat

Unlike most spiders, wolf spiders do not build webs. Instead they roam across the ground at night. Some species dig burrows, which is useful for catching prey. They can sometimes be found in garages and near fences, but are most commonly found in grassy areas. They are found worldwide.

          Prey

The wolf spider eats insects such as flies, mosquitoes, beetles and crickets, but it also eats smaller spiders. It captures them by either hiding behind a rock or jumping at them from underground.

          Predators

One of the wolf spider's predators is the wasp. This is because the wasp will catch the spider by surprise and sting them, which will paralyse it. The wasp will then lay its eggs on top of the spider. When these eggs hatch they will devour the helpless spider.  According to some museum, two species of the wolf spider are predators to the cane toad.