The ways in which nature takes care of the survival of species through parental behaviors are amazing. While some animals like polar bears turn out to be the most solitary and live near their mothers for only one or two years until they become independent and part ways forever, there are other animals that carry their paternal and maternal commitment to others. levels. Gharials are water reptiles that have the peculiarity of behaving like proud parents and gharials have been seen with more than 100 of their small offspring riding on their backs while taking a walk along the river. But the spiders are not far behind, to take care of their small offspring, some species of spiders carry their babies on their backs to take care of them and ensure that they reach adulthood.
A motherhood of another height is what some species of spiders exert. All known species of spiders wrap their eggs in their silk web to protect their future offspring. But how they care for these sacs varies greatly from species to species. While they all form an orderly bundle with fabric to protect the future offspring, there are some that not only jealously take care of the eggs, but when they hatch, they allow their little babies to climb up their legs until they reach their back, where They live for some time until they become independent.
This is the case of the wolf spider that belongs to the Lycosidae family, among which are those that we commonly know as tarantulas. This type of arachnids generally live in places where the environment is primarily humid, such as caves in humid forests. They are characterized by their large size that reaches 3 centimeters in the case of females, in addition to their large eyes that give them a much more privileged view than other species of spiders.
A maternity of height
But above all, what is most striking about wolf spiders is that they are one of the species that takes their motherhood to an astonishing level. After the egg sac that they carry in their womb wrapped in spider web hatches, mothers allow their babies to climb up their legs until they reach their back. There they cling to their mother in droves, a first layer of spiders clinging to the villi of their mother, while the uppermost layers of tiny arachnids pile up on her siblings until they generate a mountain of baby tarantulas.
A litter of baby arachnids can pile up on their mother’s back for up to more than a week, as the young do not usually require food immediately. Although the proud mother regularly stops at small puddles so that her little ones can climb down to get a little hydration.
This is how the wolf spider keeps its young safe from possible predators such as wasps or the yellow scorpion, which are its most important threats in the food chain. Photographs of spiders carrying their hundreds of babies on their backs surprise anyone and remind us that nature still has a lot to teach us.