Which Spiders Have Live Babies?
WouterMany species of spiders lay their eggs in a sac of silk. The egg sac is then protected by the female. Some spiders also feed the young. Some may even regurgitate food for them. These methods of care can vary widely from one species to another.
Some species lay a single egg sac while others will produce several. Each egg sac is covered in silk and is usually spherical. They can contain hundreds of eggs. Some females will carry the eggs in their jaws, spinnerets or on their backs.
Some females leave the egg sac in the ground while other spiders will bury it under rocks. Some will also hide it in a plant stalk. They will then protect it by wrapping it in more silk.
Some females are so concerned about protecting their young that they will make a’silk bed’ to keep them from being eaten by other creatures. This can be done by wrapping the egg sac in silk or making a silk ‘blanket’. Some female spiders will only leave the sac when the baby spiders have grown to an appropriate size to hunt on their own.
Wolf spiders have been known to care for their babies for three years. They live by hunting small mammals and reptiles and consuming the fluids of their prey. They are not carriers of diseases or toxins.
Female spiders often have 100s of babies at a time. Some species will care for their young for a short period of time and some will die before they can produce their next egg sac.
