What Is This Giant Spider On The Wildwood Crest Beach?!
What Is This Giant Spider On The Wildwood Crest Beach?!
As you know we get amazing families visit us from around the world. Sometimes on their trip they see something and what to know what it is.
What Is The Giant Spider On The Wildwood Crest Beach
Today’s question came in from ourWildwood Talk facebook group. The Lombardos were vacationing in Wildwood Crest and came across a spider on the beach. Their daughter was digging and when they looked into her sand bucket they found the spider.
This is a wonderful question and one we had no idea about…at-least in my 30 years of being in the Wildwoods i’ve never seen one.
After doing some research this is what we have found.
Yes, the Wildwoods do have spiders, just like every other city in the world. This type of spider is called the “beach wolf spider” or the “sand wolf spider.” You can tell that it’s a wolf spider from the way their front legs face. They face parallel in the forward direction.
According to Cape May Wildlife, “their English name comes from the fact that they do not form webs to catch their prey, but instead roam actively over the ground – like wolves.”
Their real name is Hogna baltimoriana, but try to pronounce that! They are “a relatively large and chunky species, generally found in sandy areas.”
For those asking if they bite.. according to Cooper Pest,
“Wolf spiders prey upon small insects and have no interest in humans. They will not seek out interactions or attack you unless directly handled. If have been bitten by a wolf spider, there is no immediate cause for concern. Most people bitten by wolf spiders liken the pain to that of a bee sting.”
It is rare to see these spiders during the day as they do like to hunt at night. My guess is that when they went to dig they mistakenly dug into an area where this little guy was hiding. These spiders inhabit sand dunes so if she dug there it would make sense.
On a side note, stay off the dunes. haha
By now, like us, you feel like these guys are walking all over you. Don’t worry. They only like to roam outside and not inside.
Thank you to the Lombardos for the question and the photos!
