Cluster of Dead Wolf Spiders

[marjorielester453]

This is super random. The only reason I'm asking about this is because it is literally KILLING my curiosity! I could not find ANYTHING regarding this online, so I thought I'd see what some others' opinions and thoughts would be. The other day I was moving furniture around and cleaning. I had finished and noticed a couple of large brown-colored dust clusters under a hutch in my living room. I went to sweep them up and when I got them in the dust pan I looked closer and realized it was not dust, but 2 clusters of nothing but dead wolf spiders. These were not slings, they were decent sized, but all around the same size. Out here in the country in TN we get all kinds of wolf spiders, so I'm super used to seeing them out and about everywhere, and when I find them in the house, I just leave them be or help them back outside. They range from small to (what I call) Mufasa size. These were probably around 1"-1.5". It was obvious that the clusters had broken into 2 pieces and started as one much larger cluster. There were probably around 10-15 dead wolf spiders all together. Now I know a bit about spiders, so I know that wolf spiders are not communal.. So I'm wondering...do you think one died and another came to feed and died and then another came to feed on THEM and died, etc. until there were a bunch clustered together? Is that realistic? My idiot self did not take pictures (super mad face). I guess it didn't really hit me until after I threw them in the trash and piled on more trash throughout the day, of what I had really found. Now I'm just dying with curiosity. Thanks all for your input!

 

[8 legged]

Hard to say, you may only have seen spider molts!? Wolf spiders don't usually share their territory...

 

[Jumbie Spider]

They are likely amassing into a giant spider ball and eventually could come to life if conditions are right.

 

[The Snark]

Examine the environment they were found in very carefully. You are sleuthing for cause and effect.

 

[Edan bandoot]

This is super random. The only reason I'm asking about this is because it is literally KILLING my curiosity! I could not find ANYTHING regarding this online, so I thought I'd see what some others' opinions and thoughts would be. The other day I was moving furniture around and cleaning. I had finished and noticed a couple of large brown-colored dust clusters under a hutch in my living room. I went to sweep them up and when I got them in the dust pan I looked closer and realized it was not dust, but 2 clusters of nothing but dead wolf spiders. These were not slings, they were decent sized, but all around the same size. Out here in the country in TN we get all kinds of wolf spiders, so I'm super used to seeing them out and about everywhere, and when I find them in the house, I just leave them be or help them back outside. They range from small to (what I call) Mufasa size. These were probably around 1"-1.5". It was obvious that the clusters had broken into 2 pieces and started as one much larger cluster. There were probably around 10-15 dead wolf spiders all together. Now I know a bit about spiders, so I know that wolf spiders are not communal.. So I'm wondering...do you think one died and another came to feed and died and then another came to feed on THEM and died, etc. until there were a bunch clustered together? Is that realistic? My idiot self did not take pictures (super mad face). I guess it didn't really hit me until after I threw them in the trash and piled on more trash throughout the day, of what I had really found. Now I'm just dying with curiosity. Thanks all for your input!

there was probably web in that corner and they all got caught in it, a picture would be neat tho.

 

[marjorielester453]

there was probably web in that corner and they all got caught in it, a picture would be neat tho.

I know I'm SO mad at myself for not taking a picture. I JUST pulled the trash they are in, I'm seriously contemplating opening it and trying to find them lol

 

[marjorielester453]

Hard to say, you may only have seen spider molts!? Wolf spiders don't usually share their territory...

Exactly. I don't know why I'm hovering on this so much but it's literally like I can't get it out of my head until I get an answer, which I probably never will, but *shrug*

 

[marjorielester453]

Examine the environment they were found in very carefully. You are sleuthing for cause and effect.

We live pretty far out in the country of TN. These giant wolf spiders around here even live in our fire pit which is insane to me. I keep my house pretty spotless (OCD) and we don't have carpet or a lot of clutter. But our house is around 50 years old. I dunno. I just want the magic answer lol

 

[marjorielester453]

They are likely amassing into a giant spider ball and eventually could come to life if conditions are right.

I wouldn't even be mad LOL that would be pretty damn amazing

 

[marjorielester453]

Hard to say, you may only have seen spider molts!? Wolf spiders don't usually share their territory...

Also, on the molt theory, that IS a possibility. Like I said, they weren't slings, but they weren't on the larger side, compared to some out here. Maybe one's babies lived under there for a while until they were that size and then secretly spread around, died, left, whatever. That's probably the most logic theory, but to ME, these were just a TAD bit bigger than what I would expect any wolf spider to stick together or even around for after momma leaves them to still be together. UGHHH I guess we may just never know and I'll just die and they can put on my tombstone "What what that effing dead spider cluster all about???"

 

[marjorielester453]

I know I'm SO mad at myself for not taking a picture. I JUST pulled the trash they are in, I'm seriously contemplating opening it and trying to find them lol

But as far as the web theory goes, that could totally be possible. They just all looked exactly the same which is what makes the mystery even more confusing to me.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Are you certain they were wolf spiders? Most likely moults from a bunch of young. Also possible you've got a cellar spider that's been very successful with a batch of someone else's kids.

 

[The Snark]

Also possible you've got a cellar spider that's been very successful with a batch of someone else's kids.

@marjorielester453 AW made a very good point. See if you have a loose mass of cobwebs nearby. A pholcid is quite capable of creating a mass graveyard.

 

[Jonathan6303]

@marjorielester453 AW made a very good point. See if you have a loose mass of cobwebs nearby. A pholcid is quite capable of creating a mass graveyard.

The power of cobwebs is unreal. If they were 7 inches I wouldn’t be surprised if humans were there prey item.

 

[The Snark]

The power of cobwebs is unreal. If they were 7 inches I wouldn’t be surprised if humans were there prey item.

And pholcids are in a class all their own. No sticky webs and very weak venom, utilizing adeptness with webbing to capture prey. Those extremely long legs quite capable of wrangling just about any other spider without risking getting in close and being bitten. They are also survivalists requiring no water, and make their webs anywhere, often out in the open. A web gets trashed they move on and build another within hours.

 

[marjorielester453]

Ok guys I found MORE. I dunno how I got so lucky, BUT. This little cluster only had 2. I have taken a bunch of pics. This is the exact ones from the previous cluster so I'm guessing when I moved this bookshelf, they were all under there and just got moved under the hutch, where I found the 1st big cluster. I've included some pics of the bottom of the bookshelf because I flipped it over and hoped that it would have an answer. No answer. There WAS some "grass like stuff" caught underneath from one of our great dane's toys. So mystery deepens? Or does any of this new evidence help any of you to any new conclusions??? I tried to take pictures of the dead spiders from every angle I could and include my finger and pen so you could see the size. So remember, the first cluster I found was torn in 2 and had around 10+ of these same exact spiders in it, which I believe are wolf spiders.

 

[marjorielester453]

I'm also about to read through the rest of the replies right now

 

[8 legged]

Could it be that the wolf spiders were victims of another species?

 

[marjorielester453]

These just seem a little too big to me to be sling molts, BUT I could be wrong!

 

[marjorielester453]

Could it be that the wolf spiders were victims of another species?

I think absolutely that could be it. I just think it's weird that they're all the same size, if that makes sense.