Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Aren't Wolf spiders stripped?
I have them down at my dark skies observatory. They are different to Tarantulas. Faster and can be slightly aggressive if provoked.
They can get large. I thought they were slightly poisonous.
Greg.
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Nope, they do not have stripes (well, no Wolf spider I've ever seen has stripes!).
Tarantulas and Wolf spiders are NOT related. One is a mygalomorph (primitive spider - Tarantula), and the other is an araneomorph (modern spider - Wolf spider). They hunt differently and use silk very differently. Wolf spiders are far more efficient and successful hunters, and far less aggressive too. A dog can be aggressive if cornered - it's simply self defence.
Huntsman (and redbacks!) are very placid spiders, it's rare for them to bite unless you are being very rough with them and hurting them.
Any spider can be aggressive if provoked, most Wolf spiders will happily do their own thing with minimal interaction with humans. Mygalomorphs are very aggressive as a rule - it's the fear vs flight process that's heavily bred into them at a genetic level. Funnelweb spiders are a good example of this. Wolf spiders have excellent eyesight, mygalomorphs don't - they rely on touch and vibrations hitting their hairs/aural nerves.
Poisonous is a wrong term. Venomous is correct
And all spiders are venomous, to varying degrees. mygalomorphs tend to bite multiple times, and inject heavier dosages of venom as a general rule. Most mygalomorphs' venom seems to affect humans/primates far more than other mammals too. Why this is the case is a mystery, since we're not their primary food source!
Cheers
Dave
edit: mygalomorphs tend to have larger and heavier fangs too, so the bite wounds are more painful than their modern cousins.
