Tundra Wolf Spider vs Hawaiian Happy-face Spider

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tundra Wolf Spider Hawaiian Happy-face Spider
Scientific Name Pardosa glacialis Theridion grallator
Order Araneae Araneae
Family Lycosidae Theridiidae
Size 5-8 mm body length 5 mm body length
Habitat Tundra & Arctic Forests
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions Arctic Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Svalbard, Arctic Scandinavia, Siberia Hawaii
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Tundra Wolf Spider

A dark, medium-sized wolf spider with cryptic brown and gray patterning. Females carry their egg sacs attached to their spinnerets. It is one of the dominant predators on the Arctic tundra ground surface.

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Did You Know?

This spider basks on dark rocks to raise its body temperature, then hunts more actively because its prey are slower in the cold.

Hawaiian Happy-face Spider

A tiny Hawaiian spider with markings on its abdomen that resemble a smiling face. It is endemic to the rainforests of four Hawaiian islands.

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Did You Know?

The smiley-face pattern is thought to confuse predators by disrupting recognition of the spider shape.