While flipping tin in the woods in southern Illinois, I found this fine arachnid, which I’ve never come across before. It resides in the southeastern parts of the United States and it is usually dark brown with a light brown stripe at the center of its carapace and light marks on its abdomen.
Among Wolf Spiders, it stands out for its unique behavior — it hunts mostly during the day, unlike most wolf spiders, which are nocturnal. Like most other Wolf Spiders, the Georgia Wolf Spider does not build webs; instead, it chases its prey and pounces on it. It eats a variety of invertebrates found in the leaf litter on the forest floors of deciduous woodlands – its main habitat.
Wolf Spiders are known for their reflective eyes. Like a deer in the headlights of a car, the eight small eyes on a Wolf Spider reflect a greenish light at night when passed over with a flashlight. I sometimes can see their eye reflections when driving remote roads at night.
Adults of this species have a body length of between half an inch to nearly one inch, with females being larger than males. Females carry their eggs with them wherever they go and may move into or out of sunlight to help control the temperature of the developing eggs. After the eggs hatch, the young climb onto her abdomen, and she carries them for a week or two while they complete their development.
Spiders play an extremely important role in maintaining the ecological balance within their habitats. As predators, they help regulate the population of smaller insects, contributing to a healthier ecosystem.
This was a fun and unexpected find while looking for snakes on this year’s Illinois adventure.