Wolf spider and threat pose

[dragonblade71]

A number of years ago, I used to live on a farm in South Australia, Australia and there were many wolf spider burrows here. It was fun luring them out to the surface with a blade of grass. Though there was one particular wolf spider that behaved differently to all the others. It actually put on a threat pose at the entrance to it's burrow when I was interacting with it - just like a Mygalomorph. Rearing up on it's hind legs. And it would strike downwards as well (repeatedly) from that threat posture. I'm kind of puzzled as to why it's doing this because obviously, the fangs on these types of spiders do not point downwards. Has anyone else observed this with wolf spiders? I wonder what is going on here. A wolf spider with an identity crisis?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

A number of years ago, I used to live on a farm in South Australia, Australia and there were many wolf spider burrows here. It was fun luring them out to the surface with a blade of grass. Though there was one particular wolf spider that behaved differently to all the others. It actually put on a threat pose at the entrance to it's burrow when I was interacting with it - just like a Mygalomorph. Rearing up on it's hind legs. And it would strike downwards as well (repeatedly) from that threat posture. I'm kind of puzzled as to why it's doing this because obviously, the fangs on these types of spiders do not point downwards. Has anyone else observed this with wolf spiders? I wonder what is going on here. A wolf spider with an identity crisis?

I thought Only mygalomorphs can bite With this downward fang behavior. True spiders fangs go a different direction I thought but maybe it’s wolf spiders that also can bite downward?? Been so long since I caught one haha . Maybe your right ! Huntsman can also look like wolfs if you get a bad angle or lighting . Is it any of these haha giant list ?

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[jbooth]

H. carolinensis will do a wave, like a GTFO wave. Haven't seen a double slap though. One rushed the glass and did it tonight. There's no fangs but it is a threat pose but I guess a polite one lol. It's only thrown at things they would rather not fight and at a distance.

 

[dragonblade71]

Yea same here. I thought that only mygalomorphs did that threat pose and bite downwards - because of the arrangement of their fangs.

And this was definitely a wolf spider. It's the same species of wolfie as all the others on this rural property with the distinctive Union Jack pattern on the carapace. And it was defending it's burrow just like all the other wolf spiders do around here. Though Ive never seen any other wolf spider do the threat pose and strike downwards - only this one.

 

[jbooth]

You remember if the fangs were beared? I've never seen the fangs out, and I've seen sideways motions as well, like "leave in that direction". I really see it as more sign language than just a threat pose with these guys. It would be really interesting to study deeply.

 

[The Snark]

I've seen Nephila make the threat pose on several occasions.
Conjecture: The primal spiders were obligate hunters while the web weavers came late in the game - developing more and more sophisticated webs as well as other means of prey capture. So the threat pose was originally written in their genes and most evolved away from it. Origin gene instructions are never entirely deleted but become disused and under certain circumstances may get called up even if the animal is no longer capable of effectively utilizing the function. Ex: humans can still brachiate, albeit inefficiently.

 

[dragonblade71]

You remember if the fangs were beared? I've never seen the fangs out, and I've seen sideways motions as well, like "leave in that direction". I really see it as more sign language than just a threat pose with these guys.

It was quite a few years ago when I encountered this wolf spider but I don't recall the fangs sticking out.