Mediterranean wolf spider

The Mediterranean wolf spider is a large, sturdy spider that lives on warm, dry ground around the Mediterranean, especially in southern Europe. She is coloured in soft browns and greys, which help her blend into the soil and pebbles. She is a shy creature who spends most of her time close to home, and she is far more interested in beetles and crickets than in people.

This spider does not spin a web to catch her food. Instead, she hunts like a little wolf — that is how wolf spiders got their name. She digs a cosy burrow in the ground and waits quietly at the doorway. When an insect passes by in the night, she dashes out, chases it down, and carries it back home. She has excellent eyesight for spotting movement in the dark.

Mother wolf spiders are among the most devoted parents in the spider world. She wraps her eggs in a silk ball and carries it with her wherever she goes, fixed to the back of her body. When the babies hatch, dozens of tiny spiderlings climb up onto her back and ride there together, snug and safe, until they are big enough to head off and dig burrows of their own.

Long ago in the town of Taranto in southern Italy, people gave this spider the name “tarantula.” They even had a lively folk dance, the tarantella, tied to old stories about its bite — though its bite is actually mild and nothing to fear. The big, hairy tarantulas many people picture today are a completely different group of spiders that simply borrowed the very same name.

These spiders spend the day resting in their burrows and come out at night to hunt, so people hardly ever see them. They have not been listed as needing special protection. By catching insects on warm hillsides and fields, the Mediterranean wolf spider plays a quiet, useful part in keeping the countryside healthy and full of life.