Wolf spiders hitch a ride on mom’s back

The wolf spider mother - she's not just a pretty face...

This might not be the face that comes to mind when you think of maternal devotion – but this wolf spider is a surprisingly dedicated parent. The Earth-Touch crew took a break from filming Botswana’s larger wildlife to snap a few amazing photos of the arachnid’s unusual parenting technique.

All aboard the mommy mobile.

Saddled with a brood of dozens (as many as 100!) of cumbersome spiderlings, the mother adopts a rather unusual piggyback strategy that’s unique to wolf spiders: she carries them!

Precious cargo in transit.

She’s pretty well equipped for these baby-carrying duties: a special silken egg sac (attached to the spinnerets at the end of her abdomen) keeps the unborn young safe and sound until they’re ready to hatch – at which point it’s only a short clamber up their mother’s legs and onto her abdomen. Excess baggage this may be, but it doesn’t stop the female spider from hunting successfully.

A little weighed down - but still a focused hunter.

For another example of peculiar parenting, check out this Earth-Touch video featuring mouth-brooding cichlid fish. The cichlid fry (or newly hatched fish) take cover inside their mother’s mouth at any sign of approaching danger.