Wolf spider: Difference between revisions

[[Image:Wolf spiders courtin.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Courtship of the wolf spiders]][[Image:Wolf_spider_with_big_egg_sac.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Female carrying a large egg sac]] Mating generally begins outside the female's burrow at night. Males are first attracted by the pheremones of the female. Then they begin a courtship ritual in which he will tap his legs in a certain way, drum with his palps, and create sounds by scraping the palp against itself (a process also called stridulation). [http://www.amonline.net.au/factSheets/wolf_spiders.htm][http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_wolf_spider.php] Wolf spiders will mate for life and are generally together except during rainy seasons. The only time that they will separate is generally during the rainy season.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider] Once the eggs are fertilized, the female will create a large egg sac that is often made of white silk and shaped like a ball. She will then carry the egg sac by attaching it to her spinnerets. When the eggs hatch after about a month, the mother will tear open the egg sac and will carry the young spiders on her back.[http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_wolf_spider.php] The young spiders will remain there by holding onto specialized hairs. This degree of parental care is a rare phenomenon for most spiders. [http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_wolf_spider.php] When they are ready to leave their mother, the spiderlings will leave on the ground or balloon (float with the breeze using their silk). The average life span for a wolf spider is two years.[http://www.amonline.net.au/factSheets/wolf_spiders.htm][http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582521/Wolf_Spider.html]