Spiders are grouped according to how they catch their food. The two groups are: (1)
Wanderers/Hunters and (2)
Web-builders. All spiders belonging to each group can produce their own silk but their means of using this silk varies depending on which group they belong. The hunters use their silk to move around and increase their mobility when chasing their prey while the Web-builders use their silk to make traps that capture their next meal. Moreover, because of the nature by which they capture their prey, the hunters are usually very agile and relative to the spiders in the other group, their eyesight is way better. One the other hand, Web-builders are more of the quite type. They do not roam around the house; they simply wait in undisturbed places waiting for their
traps to catch their prey. Their
eye sight is normally very poor and they simply rely on the vibrations that a prey makes when it hits the trap to figure out that their meal is ready. In this specific article, let's talk about the
hunting spiders.
The Wanderers, a.ka. The Hunters
1. Jumping Spiders
These spiders are as common indoors as much as they are common outdoors. They hunt during daytime because they usually feed on insects that are active during this time. They are normally found in areas where sun exposure is very prominent, i.e. windows, walls and ceilings. You will be able to
identify a Jumping spider based on its color and its size. It may be dark or light colored but all Jumping spiders have white markings all over them. They are compact-looking, with body length ranging from a fifth to half of an inch.
Jumping Spiders are called as such because, of course, they jump. They are very agile and they move in irregular gait. They can hunt a prey that is many times larger than its size and they can clear visions of the objects surrounding it up to 8 inches in radius.
2. Wolf Spiders
They do not resemble a furry wolf in any way but they are called as such because of their hunting style.
They can hunt during daytime but like a real wolf, they can also hunt at night for as long as the temperature allows them to. They usually live in the forest floors or in swamps but they can also live in houses, most especially in the garden surrounding the house. They are usually dark-colored, with visible grey, brown or white marking all over their bodies. They are a bit larger than the Jumping Spiders; about a quarter of an inch to 3/4 of an inch long.
3. Fishing Spiders
These spiders live with other names such as
Dock Spiders,
Water Spiders, etc. They got their random names because of their common habitats which are: lazy streams, ponds and swamps. Because of their liking for water, they can also be seen in houses close to water sources, or even in the garden where the vegetation is thick enough to keep the place moist.
These spiders do not literally go fishing, but they do catch their prey underwater. They can slide across the water surface and dive into it once a prey is spotted.
Fishing Spiders are considered to be the largest of all hunting spiders (although is rare occasions some spiders may grow bigger that the average size of a Fishing spider) having a body that measures an inch across. The legs of the Fishing Spider would look odd when they are on the water surface. Apart from their ability to quickly move on water surfaces without breaking the water tension, you can identify a Fishing Spider through its appearance. It is usually brown-colored or grey-colored with a white marking outlining its body. They outline in visible on its back. They can feed on
tadpoles, small animals with vertebrates and small fishes too.
4. Sac Spiders
These spiders normally lurk on the ground so it is quite common these them to find their way into houses.
They are also called
Two-clawed because of the two very visible claws that they have. They use these claws to catch their prey. They are usually yellowish in color and are as small as the Jumping spiders; about one fifth of an inch to two of a fifth of inch in body length. They use their webs to catch their prey although they also use their silk to build homes where they can live into. When these spiders live outdoors, they usually roll-up leaves and weave it using their silk and use that construction as a retreat place. When they happen to get indoors, they would live in high places like the ceiling or the attic.
5. Crab Spiders
These spiders are very common outdoors and are rarely seen indoors. They might come close to a house because of the lawn or the garden surrounding the house but they will not want to enter into a house where food is scarce. They feed on insects that normally live in flowers, leaves and grasses. They are small spiders; about a tenth of an inch to almost half an inch.
They come in a variety of colors like yellow, red, grey and brown. They are called
crab spiders because of the appearance of their legs. First two sets of legs of a Crab Spider look like that of a crab, also being held out far to the spider's side. Unlike the other hunters or wanderers, Crab Spiders do not chase after their prey; instead they prefer to ambush the prey that unknowingly passes by the hiding place of the Crab Spider.
6. Gnaphosid Spiders
These spiders are perhaps the most unique ones in this list because of their name.
Gnaphosid spiders come in many different families, one of which is the family of the
Parson Spiders. Like all other
hunting spiders, these spiders are not really common indoors but in rare cases, they still make it indoors. These spiders measure about half an inch across and they normally have grey colored abdomens and a brown body color.
