South Carolina's Hogna

Proud to represent the state of South Carolina, Hogna carolinensis. Looking kinda cute... until I noticed the fangs.



South Carolina has been in the news lately regarding their snakes and weasels, but there is one animal that I bet a lot of people have no idea is a high ranking state official. We are the only state to have an officially appointed state spider, and he's a hog....or Hogna carolinensis, the largest of the Wolf spiders. His common name is the Carolina Wolf spider. This is no minor arachnid and in fact he can be so big that when you see one you may for a shocking instant suspect he may compete in size with the petite state bird, the Carolina Wren. Wolf spiders are not shy and they get their name because most of the species use their excellent eyesight to hunt down their prey, like a wolf, rather than laying politely in wait on a web.
In addition to their size, they have another asset that can provide you with some entertainment if you are inclined to patience and summer nights. Wolf spiders are most active at night when they do their hunting. This species has eight eyes and the pair of large eyes in the middle are quite reflective if they catch a light source at night. Summer nights would be nice time to have a Wolf watch. A lawn chair and a Petzl light on your head would be all you need. As the spider's
The wolf spider showing off 6 of his eight eyes. You can barely see the pair on top of his head. The red reflective pair is in the middle.


eyes glow an erie bright red when they catch the light, they look like little ghosts eyes peering back from the edge of the woods. I have a weakness for anything that glows in the night, so even though I can do without a viewing of the state spider in full daylight, I find them to be nice entertainment on a summer evening.

Hi-tech simulation of a Wolfie Watch.