Crying 'Wolf Spider'

Another day, another article about a complete non event involving a spider, it seems a Spiderlord's work is never done. This time we have The Daily Mail (and to be fair most other news outlets) screaming: Wolf Spider Terrorises 21 year old Childcare Worker! alongside pictures of the least terrified person I think I have ever seen, unless that smile is actually a petrified grimace of utter terror.

Pretty, yes. Terrified? Maybe not. Just one of the four photos the Daily Mail thought it was necessary to have in the article.  photo - Natalie Woods

Now before i start with the debunking and you know, the FACTS. Let me just say this is one of the most shocking displays of shoddy 'journalism' (and i use that word begrudgingly i assure you) i have EVER seen. It is truly shameful that this level of hack publishing is allowed to be disseminated to the public on a mass scale.

That aint no Wolf Spider. Photo Natalie Woods

You see all that has happened is that someone has trawled through Twitter and reported on it. Yep, that's it, gone are the days of journalism being  skullduggery and bungs, shady reporting and getting info via clandestine and underhand methods. Now it seems all you need to do is know how to navigate the realms of social media. A sad, sad day for the 'truth'.

A perfectly reasonable question, blown into a scandalous article by the media. Photo once again, Natalie Woods

So yes, Natalie Woods has basically put up a few statuses about a spider in her shower, like the majority of the general public this has caused her some consternation (clearly she has not been reading my articles) and some alarmed statuses have been posted. At some point somebody has incorrectly identified it as a Wolf spider (Lycosidae) and the paper has picked up on that (after all Wolf Spider sounds SCARY!) and run with it. Contacting an official source for their take on Wolf Spiders and printing the whole kit and caboodle as an article.

Now the facts on the Wolf Spider presented are mostly (but not all) accurate  having come from Jack Fenwick of Naturally Wild 'The Ecology Experts' (not the best source of info compared to an actual academic at a museum or say, the British Arachnid Society but at least they are trying and it sounds nice and official to the everyday man) although as always the Spider is portrayed in the poorest possible light by the paper, Wolf Spiders will not bite unless picked up and grasped firmly when they have no other choice (they normally run away at just under the speed of light when your shadow falls on them). Problem is, as I have already mentioned, this is NOT a Wolf Spider.

THIS is a Wolf Spider (one of many species we have in the UK) Photo - Allen Spiderlord Ward

No, ladies and gentlemen what we have here is likely Erategina atrica (formerly Tegenaria gigantea) the giant house spider. A case could be made for it being Tegenaria domestica - the common house spider but spider taxonomy is frankly a bit of a bitch and always being revised and its not the best photo of the specimen to start off with. Enough to establish genus but not species.  House spiders are pretty large but somewhat skittish and will always leg it rather than make any sign of defense let alone aggression. As summer draws to a close we can expect a great deal more of them to appear as they look to escape the cold. (cue the 'invasion' stories in the paper) They are harmless but tick all the boxes that people seem to have for hating spiders being fast (though not wolf spider-fast) leggy and hairy. However someone called 'wolf' and now we have this state of affairs, and this article for a complete non event.

This is also a Wolf Spider, well technically two! Photo - Allen Spiderlord Ward

THIS is a House Spider. Photo - Allen Spiderlord Ward

It's bizarre, I cant see why Jack Fenwick would divulge the information about Wolf Spiders without asking to see the specimen in question. My sneaking suspicion is that he was just approached generically about Wolf Spiders by the Mail. Even then he seems to have erred. Wolf Spiders are FAR from the biggest spiders in the UK. That's what you get for approaching an 'ecology expert' rather than say, an actual arachnologist. Or even the experienced spider enthusiasts on the British Spider Identification Facebook Page (which I help moderate) who would made the correct identification in a heartbeat. Natalie, ask us next time!

This is also a House Spider - Photo - Allen Spiderlord Ward

I must stress that at no point can blame be apportioned to Natalie, there are no interviews with her at this point, no quotes from her directly to the paper. In fact the quotes taken are from her Twitter account and even from one of her friends comments. Personally I find the whole thing a little creepy. Seriously, I know the modern press has low standards but this really is scraping the barrel now they can't hack phones anymore. I mean the Daily Mail article has more pictures of Natalie (presumably taken from her account) than the spider in question! Like I say, creepy. Way more creepy than the spider that's for sure. 

So overall, another article to be roundly ignored though based upon the top rated comments on the article 'kill it with fire' etc. It is just another example of these wonderful misunderstood creatures getting yet more bad press and I have no doubt another sensationalist article full of misinformation will be produced before too long. 

Like I say, a Spiderlord's work is never done.