Carolina Wolf Spider
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They can average three inches in total length, making them a fairly easy group to identify.
The Carolina Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis), the largest of the Hogna species, inhabits a variety of ecosystems, especially in the southern half-of the United States, building ground burrows for protection from predators, hunting mostly at night.
Females often overwinter in residential areas, startling an unsuspecting homeowner when they run from under a board or other ground based object.
The picture shows an individual with a gray body. The body can also take on a brownish color.
Like other spiders, they do bite. However, they tend to focus their biting on their prey, often running in the presence of a human. In instances where they do bite a human, they are not categorized as a spider of medical concern, meaning the bite is no poisonous.
In 1990 the South Carolina designated the Carolina Wolf Spider as the official state spider.
© 2009 Patricia A. Michaels