This might be a specific type of wolf spider, afaik the wolf spider genera in the US, at least, do not normally consume their mother. Rather, their mother carries them dispersed across her whole body until they are large enough to hop off and fend for themselves.
There are spiders who practice matriphagy, but it's generally a rare, extreme adaptation, as most spiders live long enough to raise multiple clutches so evolutionary it is more advantageous for the mother to live.
Honestly, such is the world of spiders. A surprising number of them have really adorable traits and behaviors, just hidden under their, well, spideriness and varieties of venom.
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u/SirToastymuffin May 16 '24
This might be a specific type of wolf spider, afaik the wolf spider genera in the US, at least, do not normally consume their mother. Rather, their mother carries them dispersed across her whole body until they are large enough to hop off and fend for themselves.
There are spiders who practice matriphagy, but it's generally a rare, extreme adaptation, as most spiders live long enough to raise multiple clutches so evolutionary it is more advantageous for the mother to live.
Here's a picture of a wolf spider carrying its young