Hogna carolinensis, commonly-known as the Carolina wolf spider and giant wolf spider, is found across North America. It is the largest of the wolf spiders in North America, typically measuring at 18-20mm for males and 22-35mm for females.

The Carolina wolf spider is mottled brown with a dark underside. Males have orange coloration on their sides. They live in either self-made burrows or ones they find. Like all wolf spiders, H. carolinensis does not make a web to catch prey. They hunt by ambushing prey from their burrows. These spiders are particularly-known for the females carrying their egg-sacs on their bodies during the incubation period. The Carolina wolf spider also has a unique type of venom that both paralyzes their prey and helps prevent microbes from their prey infecting them. H. carolinensis is able to thermoregulate quite well. This is particularly important for animals that inhabit desert ecosystems or other locations with large temperature swings.

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