Minnesota Spider ID (Wolf?)

[straightsilver]

Hey everyone. I collected this spider at work today, at a boat launch on the Mississippi River. Does anyone have an idea as to what species it might be? It abdomen is roughly an inch or so long. Sorry for the crummy pic, I took it with my phone. I'm going to bring it home and take some pics with my DSLR tonight and I'll try and get a shot of it's eye pattern. Someone here suggested it might be a fishing spider.

Also, I'm thinking about keeping it as a desk pet. I mostly keep reptiles and amphibians, but I would think I could keep a spider without any troubles. I'd just like to know the species so I can research it's care.

Another random question...since it's fall here now, will it go into any sort of temperature shock if it's brought back in to room temp? Would it be best to just release it after I snap some photos if it's preparing for our crappy winter?

Thanks!

 

[John Apple]

dolomedes tenebrosus...very cool 'pet' spiders

 

[straightsilver]

Cool thanks for the quick reply! I see they're commonly an aboreal spider. I found this one between two concrete blocks on the way down to the water however. Can you think of any particular care requirements out of the ordinary?

 

[Alexandra V]

Cool thanks for the quick reply! I see they're commonly an aboreal spider. I found this one between two concrete blocks on the way down to the water however. Can you think of any particular care requirements out of the ordinary?

If you're finding them in your area, then I seriously doubt that they'd have any difficult care requirements. Just a regular enclosure, a fair bit of height, a hide spot and a water dish and you should be golden!

 

[straightsilver]

Cool thanks for the info. I have tons of those circular 190 oz clear containers that I use for dart froglets, would one of those work well for an enclosure? I've got plenty of substrate and leaf litter around for it, I just need to get some stuff to climb on

 

[loxoscelesfear]

rest assured, your set-up will be fine. i keep big Dolomedes in pickle jars w/ no decorations. They just cling to the side of the jar, eat, molt, and do nothing. Give a cricket once a week, mist the spider every couple of days and you are good to go.

 

[straightsilver]

Here's a nicer picture

 

[loxoscelesfear]

that looks like one spoiled healthy spider. the more spider pics the better.

 

[John Apple]

looks to be having a drop of a drink