How many eyes do wolf spiders have? If you’ve ever seen a wolf spider up close then you know that they have a lot of eyes. But, how many eyes do they have exactly?
Well, wolf spiders have eight eyes arranged in three rows, with four small eyes above their mouth, two large eyes that peer out at the front, and then two more large eyes at the top of their head.
However, why do wolf spiders have so many eyes? Let’s take a look!
Wolf Spiders Eyes
The eyes of the wolf spider are located in three rows around their head, (cephalothorax). This means they can see almost everything around them without having to move from side to side.
The Location Of The Wolf Spiders Eyes:
- Two Large Eyes On Top Of The Head
- Two Large Eyes At The Front
- Four Smaller Eyes Forming A Row
Wolf spiders have two eyes at the top of their head, however, these can be hard to see at first glance! As seen in the photo!
The first thing your notice when looking at a wolf spider is their two large eyes that peer out the front. Below that is four smaller eyes forming a row, located just above their mouth.
This gives them an even better advantage during hunting and foraging because they have space all around them covered by their vision range.
If something does catch its attention, it will be able to direct itself toward prey easier while still being aware of predators coming from other directions as well!
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Why Do Wolf Spiders Have So Many Eyes?
So at this point, you probably thinking why do wolf spiders have so many eyes? and why would a spider need more than two? The answer to this is because of their hunting style and environment.
If you’ve ever seen a wolf spider hunt, then you know that it moves quickly as it searches for prey. This type of movement requires them to be able to see what’s going on around them, especially in low-light conditions.
Extra Eyes Help With The Following:
- Hunting Prey
- Detecting Movement
- Determine Distance
- Depth Perception
- Looking Out For Predators
Wolf Spiders will also use their special technique to help them see better called “tapetum lucidum.” Tapetum lucid is a layer behind the spider’s retina in their secondary eyes which reflects light back at it to make images appear brighter and clearer under low-light conditions.
This process creates what is known as a “glow,” in the eye! You may notice this if shine a flashlight directly on the spider at night.
How Many Eyes Do Baby Wolf Spiders Have?
When baby wolf spiders (Spiderlings) hatch they have a total of six eyes. The two additional eyes on top of their head will develop and become more noticeable over time as they grow.
However even with just six eyes, the babies are still able to see very well.
Even at such a young age, they are able to use their eyesight as an advantage. Their vision is very good and because of this, they can detect prey faster than most spiders with less developed sight.
This also gives them the ability to sense danger earlier which helps keep them safe from predators early on in life.
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Conclusion
Now you know how many eyes wolf spiders have and the answer behind why they use their many eyes for hunting prey, seeing better in low-light conditions.
And giving them a wide field of vision around themselves instead of just having two big primary eyes as most creatures would normally have.
There are so many more interesting facts about these fascinating species but we’ll leave those for another blog post at some point soon!
If you want to know more about wolf spiders or any other spider don’t forget to check out our other posts!
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