Wolf Spiders

Unidentified wolf spider, male, in the moth trap in Hayes, 31 October 2011.

Wolf spiders have yet another method of catching prey; they run after and catch it, like their namesakes. I haven't managed to identify the species of these examples, despite the fact that they look very smart and distinctive.

Like the jumping spiders, they have big eyes on the front of their heads and a couple of smaller ones on the top. Jumping spiders move in small jerky bursts; these creatures also run fast. They don't stay still for long.

Unidentified wolf spider.  Farningham Wood,  2 October 2011.

You can find them in many environments, including my garden, like the top specimen, which was in my moth trap one morning. I saw the second one in Farningham Wood during a snack break on a fungus-finding trip. It is conveniently perched on a dried leaf of exquisite beauty, in an alert posture. The last photo is one I have posted before; a wolf spider with its young on its back running under the grass on Riddlesdown Common.

Wolf spider hunting under the grass, carrying her young on her back, in the meadow above Riddlesdown quarry.
2 July 2011.