How to Identify Wolf Spiders

The Wolf Spider is often mistaken for its more deadly cousin the Brown-Recluse spider. They often seek refuge indoors when the weather turns cold and lurk around corners and inside houses. Although they won't cause some of the more serious symptoms like muscle spasms, you still don't want to let your children get near them.

Instructions

1. 

   Wolf spiders can be found almost anywhere in the US (and several other continents as well), so it's impossible to rule out most geographic locations. They do however tend to live in the ground. Wolf Spiders dig burrows and hide from intruders. Common locations they can be found include homes, gardens, fences, and dense shrubbery.

2. 

   Your first hint to what type of spider it is will be what time of day you find it. Wolf spiders generally come out at night. They don't spin webs, but rather come out at night to hunt for prey. Even at night they are usually not aggressive and will try to get away before biting.

3. 

   You can also identify this spider (Wolf Spider) by its physical appearance. Large wolf spiders will be under an inch long-the overall size of these spiders can vary greatly in this limited range. Its body is covered in brown or gray hair. There often have markings and different spots on their abdomen, but no consistent designs or patterns.

4. 

   One of the easiest ways to identify the wolf spider is from the position of its eyes (if you get close enough to see them). Wolf spiders generally have two rows of four eyes, and then two on top of these rows. This one of a handful of markers unique to the Wolf spider.

5. 

   If worst comes to worst you can identify a Wolf spider by its bite. (Unless you have a rare allergic reaction.) When bitten, you will experience mild pain, and slight swelling at the site of the wound. If the wound get worse than a small amount of swelling and pain, chances are pretty good it isn't a bite from a Wolf Spider. Serious symptoms like muscle cramps, tiredness, or vision loss require immediate medical attention.