#58 Remarkable nature 01

Enthusiastic observers of nature wouldn't let a 135mm downpour deter them from investigating backyard creatures and their antics - in fact, it provides a perfect opportunity for searching for oddities. Or. . . . .maybe I'm just crazy, but between showers, I got out into the garden.

Nature never ceases to amaze me, and it was a common Garden Wolf Spider (Lycosa godeffroyi) and her remarkable survival tactics that astounded me a couple of days ago.

Now, I am aware of the extent female Wolfies go to nurture their youngsters by carting them around on their back until the spiderlings are ready for the big bad world on their own - this in itself is unusual in the spider kingdom. Mature female Wolf Spiders are a formidable sight, but add a blob of babies to that already large abdomen, and the new mum can be seen scurrying across the lawn from half a backyard away.

But it seems that these dedicated mothers will go far beyond the norm to keep their brood safe:

. . . . .While the ground was saturated, I couldn't resist pulling up the tall lanky milk thistles that had claimed an empty spot in my garden. I hadn't intended depriving a mother and her babies of a safe-house during this mini flood, so I was naturally concerned for the wellbeing of this spider family when she dropped from a weed as I happily stuffed it into a bucket.

She dropped into 5 centimeters of water, and as I watched and waited for her to display her swimming skills, she hastily submerged. I had visions of a trail of minute spider specks drifting off behind her, but all I saw was a still, bulbous shape covered by murky water.

About 2 minutes later, she emerged, with her brood still attached and dry. I had been watching this spectacle in disbelief, but now dashed off to get my camera. And on cue, she dived again. I could see tiny air bubbles between the hatchlings on her back, and when the spider sprung from the depths onto a floating piece of grass, the spiderlings were noticeably dry.

I gently tickled the lump of huddled babies, and sure enough, they were alive and well. How remarkable! And then I was chased indoors by another shower.

The round shape in the bottom left of the picture is the

abdomen of the Wolf Spider swollen with clinging spiderlings.

Notice there is a small Wolf Spider in the top right.

Pockets of air are trapped amongst submerged spiderlings


Mother Wolf Spider emerges, with dry babies. . . . .


. . . . .and scrambles ashore to safety