# Truly Amazing, Spider Adoption



## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

One of my Trochosa sp females adopted another wolf spider's egg sac. I think this is bizarre, she very well knows that she is carrying two egg sacs not one. Strange behaviour, extraordinary too. Spider adoption I'd say 

I have proof,

[video=youtube;we9MbPfDCjA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9MbPfDCjA[/video]

Here is a link for the ones that cannot see the video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9MbPfDCjA

---------- Post added 06-07-2013 at 02:26 AM ----------

I am curious of what is going to happen when they hatch? Would there be too many spiderlings for her to carry on her abdomen?

Reactions: Like 3


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## Smokehound714 (Jun 7, 2013)

Lol, that's a handful.


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## Arachtion (Jun 7, 2013)

Very interesting! May I ask how she came into contact with another spiders sac?


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

Arachtion said:


> Very interesting! May I ask how she came into contact with another spiders sac?


That other spider accidently was crushed during the process of me catching her. Something crushed her when I found her under the stone, the strange part is how her egg sac wasn't smashed with her?! Anyways, I wanted to experiment by putting the egg sac with another mother wolf spider. Well it worked, Spider adoption 

The only thing is, how will she carry ALL those babies!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Arachtion (Jun 7, 2013)

Marc Spider said:


> That other spider accidently was crushed during the process of me catching her. Something crushed her when I found her under the stone, the strange part is how her egg sac wasn't smashed with her?! Anyways, I wanted to experiment by putting the egg sac with another mother wolf spider. Well it worked, Spider adoption
> 
> The only thing is, how will she carry ALL those babies!


Damn sorry for you loss, I accidentally crushed (and ended up with her removing) two legs and ruptured a pedipalp on my AF Haplopelma hainanum (absolutely stunning specimen too) when she charged out fangs first and got caught in the lid, well either way it is fascinating behaviour, maybe the spider couldn't distinguish between the other and it's own sac, and yeah I hear ya on the carrying them all score, hopefully she'll be ok, maybe they will have to take turns!


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

Arachtion said:


> Damn sorry for you loss, I accidentally crushed (and ended up with her removing) two legs and ruptured a pedipalp on my AF Haplopelma hainanum (absolutely stunning specimen too) when she charged out fangs first and got caught in the lid, well either way it is fascinating behaviour, maybe the spider couldn't distinguish between the other and it's own sac, and yeah I hear ya on the carrying them all score, hopefully she'll be ok, maybe they will have to take turns!


I will keep you guys updated with her babies, it will be interesting to see what will happen when they hatch.


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## likebugs (Jun 7, 2013)

My 7 year old daughter was wondering if they will take turns too. lol

I find it strange that the spider would adopt another egg sac. In the wild, it would surely slow her down and be dangerous for her and both egg sacs. I guess creatures, like us, don't always do what would be better in the long run.


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## jecraque (Jun 7, 2013)

Very cool stuff--this happened with one of mine too. Tigrosa georgicola, two females, one died before opening her sac. I had my Honors Biology class read an old but brief paper on the sitch and decide what to do. In case you're interested, that paper is here: http://libinfo.uark.edu/aas/issues/1964v18/v18a5.pdf

One of my former arachnophobes opened up the orphaned sac with a razorblade and stuck it in with the remaining momspider, who had just opened her own. She also accepted the others' young. Neat to see it happen at different stages like yours! There was a higher level of mortality for the orphaned sac since several of the spiderlings didn't make it onto their adopted mother's back before (presumably) dehydrating, but for the most part it was just a ton of babies up there. Keep us posted on yours, definitely!

Now, to try with different species would be something really cool...


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

jecraque said:


> Now, to try with different species would be something really cool...


I have before. Years back, I had 6 female phidippus audax ALL with egg sacs. I decided to experiment by taking 5 egg sacs and putting it with one mother, the most astonishing thing is that mother accepted them. She webbed over them and protected them all fiercely. This doesn't shock me though, jumping spiders are intelligent.


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## jecraque (Jun 7, 2013)

Marc Spider said:


> I have before. Years back, I had 6 female phidippus audax ALL with egg sacs. I decided to experiment by taking 5 egg sacs and putting it with one mother, the most astonishing thing is that mother accepted them. She webbed over them and protected them all fiercely. This doesn't shock me though, jumping spiders are intelligent.


Neat! I wonder if it has anything to do with intelligence though--maternal care is rare but exists in a lot of "lower" organisms. I think the absence of any evolved preference for one's own offspring is a pretty clear sign that instinct is more responsible than decision-making (and that this happens rarely enough for there not to be much selection pressure for choosiness among moms).


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## likebugs (Jun 7, 2013)

I wonder if the adopting spiders feel safe from predators when they are captive.


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

likebugs said:


> I wonder if the adopting spiders feel safe from predators when they are captive.


Or if they know they are in captivity.

Reactions: Like 1


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## akarikuragi (Jun 7, 2013)

I recently watched a video of a female B. dubia standing over and protecting another female's newborn babies from the film maker's prodding finger. She was dead set on not moving. They might not be "intelligent" but the maternal instincts hardwired in some species are amazing. It always blows me away when I see just how strong that instinct is.


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 7, 2013)

akarikuragi said:


> I recently watched a video of a female B. dubia standing over and protecting another female's newborn babies from the film maker's prodding finger. She was dead set on not moving. They might not be "intelligent" but the maternal instincts hardwired in some species are amazing. It always blows me away when I see just how strong that instinct is.


You know the bizarre part is, the P. audax that adopted the 5 other egg sacs grabbed each egg sac herself and brought it over to her's. One by one, in just 20 minutes there was a big pile of egg sacs. It's like she knew they weren't her's but she still took them.


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## Tarantula155 (Jun 8, 2013)

Oh no everyone, the mother wolf spider only kept one egg sac! The strange thing is she kept the egg sac that is not her's  

She just left her own egg sac in open, while carrying the other one.

That is unfortunate. 

I am hoping she will take them both back before they hatch!


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## furball677 (Jun 8, 2013)

Wow, I am sorry to here that.

---------- Post added 06-08-2013 at 01:43 AM ----------

Yup, crazy!

Reactions: Like 1


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## likebugs (Jun 8, 2013)

Marc Spider said:


> Oh no everyone, the mother wolf spider only kept one egg sac! The strange thing is she kept the egg sac that is not her's
> 
> She just left her own egg sac in open, while carrying the other one.
> 
> ...


Try to leave her alone and not disturb her for a while. Perhaps she will take on more responsibility if she feels safe from predators, like you or your pen. I am thinking that she may have gotten spooked by the disturbance and didn't feel she could keep both sacs if she needed to move fast. 

It is just a theory, but I hope it helps.


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## Ciphor (Jun 10, 2013)

Spiders, _especially_ the superfamily Lycosoidea (containing wolf spiders, nursery web spiders, etc.) have very strong maternal instincts. Those strong maternal instincts coupled with a small confined captive space facilitate this type of abnormal behavior. In the wild, this sac would not have been picked up while in this enclosure she likely thinks it is hers as she passes over it a few times. She is confused and really doesn't know what to do. Her instincts have betrayed her, and her limited intellect (if you could call it an intellect lol) is only capable of limited adaptation.

I would remove her eggsac, keep it a tad cooler then the spider and the eggsac she has. This should slow the hatch time enough to allow her to hatch the current adopted sac. When that sac hatches place her real sac back with her (or wait till the babies disperse).

I wish I knew enough to know if the eggsac can survive detached. It could rely on the mom spiders body heat to survive, I simply don't know! But hey, sounds like you will find out one way or another 

Keep us posted please, I look forward to some updates on this odd but interesting situation.


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## Silberrücken (Jun 10, 2013)

Ciphor said:


> I wish I knew enough to know if the eggsac can survive detached.


I have raised many Wolf sacs, without the mother present. One mother died very soon after rolling her sac...  another rolled her sac but never attached it and didn't want anything to do with it... a few I took from the moms because they got way too skinny from not feeding.  

Every sac resulted in tons of gorgeous little slings.


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