Fun False Wolf Spider Facts For Kids

False wolf spiders are a type of spider from the Mediterranean that belong to the family of Zoropsidae. Similar to most spiders of the family of Zoropsidae, false wolf spiders can also adapt well to their surroundings and they live just about everywhere in the world other than Antarctica as this species can not survive in such temperatures or deep in the ocean as they do not have gills. The false wolf spider can be identified by its big eyes, long legs, bulky body, and huge mouth. Most of the Zoropsid spiders have a similar appearance. These spiders usually have a range of colors from black, brown, or gray to sometimes mixed with tan or light orangeish brown markings on their body.

Keep on reading to learn more interesting facts about this spider. For more relatable content, check out these rain spider facts and black house spider facts for kids.

What type of animal is a false wolf spider?

False wolf spiders are a type of spider from the Mediterranean that belong to the family of Zoropsidae.

What class of animal does a false wolf spider belong to?

False wolf spiders belong to the class of Arachnida and the family of Zoropsidae of the animal kingdom.

How many false wolf spiders are there in the world?

False wolf spiders are one of the most common groups of spiders found in houses hiding behind objects. There are many different species of these spiders in the world, however the exact number of these little creatures is unknown.

Where does a false wolf spider live?

Similar to most spiders of the family of Zoropsidae, false wolf spiders can also adapt well to their surroundings and they live just about everywhere in the world other than Antarctica as this species can not survive in such temperatures or deep in the ocean as they do not have gills. These spiders wander around pretty much everywhere and can be found inland, in coastal regions, or in both places.

What is a false wolf spider's habitat?

The habitat of false wolf spiders range lies in forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, households, or in your garden too. Some species of false wolf spiders also live in some of the most remote areas such as lava tubes. These spiders wander around pretty much everywhere and can be found inland, coastal, or in both places. They can also be found in forests, deserts, wetlands, grasslands, households, or in your garden too. This species consists of nocturnal spiders.

Most species of the Zoropsidae family require very specific conditions while the others have adapted to a diverse array of habitats. More than 200 species of wolf spider species currently inhabit the United States and a range of other neighboring countries. They are most active during the night when they search for prey and hunt and continue hiding throughout the day. Their diet includes small crickets, other spiders, ants, grasshoppers, and many other types of small invertebrates.

Who does the false wolf spider live with?

False wolf spiders are solitary spiders, meaning false wolf spiders tend to live alone and on their own. However, some among the group can also be found in few regions like gardens and meadows. These spiders are also found living with humans in their houses hiding behind household objects.

How long does a false wolf spider live?

The average life span of Zoropsid spiders are one or two years. They may live longer but due to natural factors like predators and weather conditions, they die sooner as they are food to larger animals like birds, lizards, and rodents.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season for most of Zoropsid spiders, including false wolf spiders, comes mainly once a year during pleasant weather like the fall in the month of September, specifically late September. The male spider of this species beats the front of its legs in a drumming motion on the ground or waving them up in the air as high as possible, attracting female wolf spiders. The females and males of this species do not easily choose each other, they often take time and require a lot of rituals. At the end of breeding, the female spider stays in her burrow where she lays her eggs. She remains in the burrows with the males. The male false wolf spider on the other hand leaves the female alone and wanders off to live its solitary life until the next breeding season. Once the eggs hatch, the female wraps them up in a silk egg sac. These female Zoropsid spiders carry these egg sacs in their abdomen until they hatch.

What is their conservation status?

The majority of Zoropsid spiders hunt their prey and consume them and are quite abundant. The conservation status of the spiders is Not Evaluated by the IUCN.

What does a false wolf spider look like?

The false wolf spider can be identified by its big eyes, long legs, bulky body, and huge mouth. Most Zoropsid spiders have a similar appearance. These spiders usually have a range of colors from black, brown, or gray to sometimes mixed with tan or light orangeish brown markings on their body. This helps them camouflage with their surroundings and catch the prey. The false wolf spider has eight eyes located all around its head. There are two at the top, two on the front, and four more eyes above the mouth. It has eight legs that are significantly longer and spread out than the body. These legs make the spider appear even larger than it actually is. Females tend to be larger than males on average. The key characteristic feature of this spider is the egg sac attached to its abdomen. The abdomen is one of the best ways to identify this insect. If you somehow squish these spiders, it may release its spiderlings on your floor!

How cute are they?

These Mediterranean spiders are tiny, fuzzy, and brown. They crawl around almost everywhere, especially in human houses. Similar to most spiders that belong to the family of Zoropsidae, these spiders are speedsters and if you are scared of creepy crawlies then you might not find this cute instead you might find them scary.

How do they communicate?

These spiders, similar to most spiders that belong to the family of Zoropsidae, also make sounds and emit chemicals for communication. False wolf spiders are either nomadic or territorial. Some species will dig burrows under rocks, logs, or other objects for safety and security.

How big is a false wolf spider?

The false wolf spider is 0.2-1.2 in (0.60-3 cm) in length. It is as big as the wolf spider but smaller than orb-weaver spiders.

How fast can a false wolf spider jump?

These spiders are pretty swift. The exact speed and leap length of this spider is unknown but spiders of the Zoropsidae species are good jumpers.

How much does a false wolf spider weigh?

The false wolf spider weighs only 1.1 oz (30 g) and is bigger than a jumping spider. You can barely feel its presence even if it crawled up your coat.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the males or females of this species.

What would you call a baby false wolf spider?

The spiders of this genus and the Zoropsidae family are called hatchlings as soon as they hatch from the egg, and spiderlings after.

What do they eat?

The diet of the false wolf spider primarily consists of insects and other spiders, ants, grasshoppers, and beetles, but the diet can vary a great deal by climate, location, and age. This diverse diet enables it to live almost anywhere giving them a variety of food to choose from.

Are they poisonous?

Most species of the Zoropsidae family are poisonous but their bite is not very toxic and can not cause any lethal damage to humans. It is suggested that in case you spot a spider bite on yourself, you must visit a doctor.

Would they make a good pet?

People can certainly keep false wolf spiders as pets. It's quite easy to keep them as they need very little space. Most people keep them in a jar. This jar should be sealed tight and tiny holes should be made for the spider to breathe unless you want the spider to die or escape. However, these brown creatures prefer their natural habitat over staying in a sealed jar, so it's best to let them be free.

Did you know...

The false wolf spider is closely related to the wolf spider.

These spiders search for food and prey only at night. They do not sit around waiting on their web, instead, they run around, search and kill their prey.

These species belong to the phylum of Arthropoda.

These spiders can make a great web within an hour. Tthey do not stay in that web, instead, they stay in underground burrows.

Do wolf spiders chase you?

No wolf spiders do not chase humans. Instead, they run away at the sight of humans. These spiders only chase their prey.

How many eggs do false wolf spiders lay?

These spiders lay an average of 100-200 eggs.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our red admiral butterfly fun facts and milkweed tussock moth interesting facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable spider on a web coloring pages.

Main image by LiCheng Shih

Second image by Hectonichus