With summer weather upon us and more time spent in backyards gardening, doing lawn work, or just relaxing, it’s likely that at least one of your friends will encounter something soon that will have them take to social media or text you exclaiming, “OMG! I just saw a tarantula!”
That super-sized spider that startled your friend is not a tarantula. Those hairy, venomous giants are not found in New York, as that family of spiders prefers much warmer climes such as Florida and the southwestern and south central US.
That doesn’t mean your friend didn’t see a large arachnid, at least by our standards. Since we’re more accustomed to seeing small jumping spiders or orb-weavers, size is relative and certain spiders stand out. Our biggest local spiders don’t approach the monstrosity of tarantulas (which can be 2.5 to 5 inches in length with legs spanning 3 to 12 inches across), but they are big enough (one-half to one inch in length with leg span in excess of 4 inches).
There are two types of spiders that likely lead to the misidentification — and fear.
The big spider found around here with a narrow body and long, skinny legs is called the dark fishing spider. Despite being related to all the other fishing spiders, it doesn’t have their tendencies that led to their name, such as living in, being next to, or walking on water, where they consume insects and even some small fish. Instead, dark fishing spiders are terrestrial, preferring woodlands, garages, and basements where they feast upon insects and other arthropods.
They don’t produce webs and instead hunt by either stalking prey or patiently sitting still on a vertical surface from which they grab passers-by.
These spiders are afraid of larger predators — and you — and will quickly run away and hide at the sight of a perceived threat. They will never attack you, but if you were to pick one up, it will likely bite you. They have large fangs, can pierce skin, and possess a venom that is not medically significant to humans. It’s said that the bite feels like a bee sting or wasp bite.
Don’t let that give you cause to kill them: They are your friends, as their diet keeps the pest populations down. Plus, why kill them when sex does?
Male dark fishing spiders die after copulating, not because his lady kills him but because of a sudden crash in blood pressure. A 2013 study surmised that this is an evolutionary tactic to sustain the species. Females that ate their dying or dead mates produced nearly twice as many babies as females that didn’t. Those spiderlings also grew 20% larger, and their survival rate was 50% greater.
The other big spider you’re likely to see in WNY is a wolf spider. There are dozens of species of this spider in the state, and 200 overall in the US. Most have good size to them — their bodies are much more robust than dark fishing spiders’ and their legs are shorter. That beefier, hairier appearance gives them more of the “tarantula look”.
Their name comes from their furry bodies and their eating behaviors — they don’t create webs to ensnare prey; they stalk or run after their prey, just like wolves do. They are effective hunters, which is possible due to their incredible eyesight. They have 8 eyes, 2 of which can see in detail from far away, and 4 that can see well at night. That quartet is highly reflective, too: If you go out on a summer night with a flashlight, you can often see the twinkle of wolf spider eyes on the forest floor or your lawn.
They are highly nocturnal creatures, which is why, despite their abundance, they are rarely seen and why, when they are, you’re more likely to see them in low-light locations like your garage, cellar, or chicken coop.
Their appearance alone can give someone the heebie-jeebies but that feeling is magnified if you encounter a new mother. The female will carry her eggs in sacs attached to her spinnerets. After they hatch, the spiderlings, numbering from the dozens to the hundreds, will ride on their mother’s back for up to two weeks for protection since they don’t have a web to live in. The universe rewards her for her kind motherly ways: Male wolf spiders live but just a year, the females can live for several years.
Just like the fishing spider, wolf spiders are afraid of you and will not bite unless you pick one up. Their venom is harmless to us and is only used to subdue the insects and other tiny critters they eat.
Even though your gut instinct might be to kill spiders when you see them, don’t. Let them be. Spiders are beneficial for keeping household and garden pests in check, and they are wonderful creatures with which we share this world. And, they are beautiful in their own ways … even the big ones.