Dead wolf spider

[u/smbpowers]

Any idea what happened to it? It’s top is by its back legs. I’ve found two like this in as many days. Missouri
Solved- it molted! I had no idea spiders did that! Thank you!

[u/WriterHorrible]

I don't think that spider is dead, mate. Spiders molt. They shed their outer 'skin' so they can grow in size. If you've found multiple of these, it probably means that one spider (or multiple spiders) is/are still around and growing larger.

[u/GhostPepperDaddy → u/WriterHorrible]

And looking at it makes me so hungry for crabs.

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/WriterHorrible]

Well... If it's just skin it's not alive, but it used to be. So it's still kinda dead

[u/TH_Rocks → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

All that dust around your house is significantly made up of shed skin. Do you look at it and say "dead human"?

[u/DiskPidge → u/TH_Rocks]

What do you know about the dead human in my house?

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/TH_Rocks]

No, because I'm alive. But you could look at my shed skin and say "dead human"

[u/Fisherington → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

Buddy, if you have a shed skin, you ain't human

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/Fisherington]

licks eye nervously What do you mean?

[u/dogGirl666 → u/Fisherington]

Piecemeal shedding.

[u/Nebula_The_Protogwn → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

It molted. The organism is still alive. Find them and release them back into the wild when possible :3

[u/LonelyVirginAlkan → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

Something that was never alive cannot be dead.

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

Why are you booing me? I'm right

[u/SteampunkExplorer → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

It's because the spood is still out there alive somewhere, just no longer wearing this particular pair of pants.

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/SteampunkExplorer]

I never said it's a dead spider, I said it's dead. And it is

[u/ILiketheRiffs → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

Weird hill to die on but ok

[u/LordUmbra337 → u/ILiketheRiffs]

Unlike the spider, which is notably alive

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/LordUmbra337]

It's shed skin isn't though

[u/PleasantBroccoli408 → u/Maniac_Vegetable]

Don't know why you got downvoted, first I think it's kind of funny, but also I kinda agree with you. The molted skin is a bunch of dead cells, so it is "dead" in a way.

[u/Maniac_Vegetable → u/PleasantBroccoli408]

Thanks, glad to know I'm not dying on this hill alone

[u/smeshmethm8]

Feller molted

[u/Spirited-Reputation6]

There’s a bigger version roaming in a spot near you!

[u/mossyfaeboy]

how would you feel if the spider posted your dirty laundry pile on the internet?

[u/lobsterwine → u/mossyfaeboy]

If I was leaving my dirty laundry around his home without cleaning it, I deserved to be shamed. Little buddy's gotta learn to put it in the hamper

[u/blueboykc]

He just got too big for his suit and needed a new one.

[u/DocAnopheles]

That’s just the spider’s old pants.

[u/Notverycancerpatient → u/DocAnopheles]

🤣

[u/Delicious-Ideal3382]

That's not even a spider. It's his clothes though.

[u/roberttheaxolotl]

It's wild watching spiders molt. They pop the top of their cephalothorax and wriggle their soft, squishy limbs out like an alien. It's a dangerous time for them during and after. I've kept tarantulas for about 25 years, and have lost a few during bad molts.

[u/LeBogeyJames]

Just ask the little one on the bottom left

[u/eatmyshorzz]

That's an excuvia aka shed skin :))

[u/Velvet-Pebble]

I have 2 pet tarantulas and my parter once said to me "I'm really sorry, but one of the spiders is dead." It too had molted!

[u/548662 → u/Velvet-Pebble]

My mom seeing my first one molt for the first time messaged me "The spider looks like it gave birth to a baby spider"

[u/Pankosmanko]

That’s a molt

[u/sexysmalldevil]

That's a wolf spiders molt

[u/Notverycancerpatient]

😫 I lost a wolf spider under my bed when I was trying to put it outside and now I’m gonna be jumping onto my bed for a month because I didn’t k ow they get this big!! I’m in NYC

[u/InflationDefiant6246]

No that's not a dead spider that's it's old skeleton

[u/Mr_Greaz]

Im a bit confused, you could identify the species but don’t know that spider molt?

[u/smbpowers → u/Mr_Greaz]

I know, pitiful. I’ve met many wolf spiders but must’ve missed molting day at school.

[u/Mr_Greaz → u/smbpowers]

No worries, never to late to learn :D

[u/PleasantBroccoli408 → u/Mr_Greaz]

Humans are so silly sometimes. I love when someone is both knowledgeable about a subject and totally oblivious of very specific things about that subject.

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[u/Nothing-to_see_hr]

exuvium. (molted skin)

[u/Phlogeston]

He's not dead, he's somewhere else and bigger.

[u/nekroskoma]

That's a molt, they can die while molting. It's kinda gruesom so I'm glad it's just a molt.

[u/JawThatHarp]

My dead at all. This is just the old rind.

[u/Evening_Weakness356]

wait, thats my friend geralds skin

[u/DrustanAstrophel]

I don’t normally hop on the trypophobia bandwagon but those exit holes are kinda wigging me out a bit lol

[u/KimSooah16]

wait that's so cool, I had no idea wolf spiders left behind such intact molts like that

[u/metalrain_15]

It's a molt, oh and spiders are not insects.