What Is a Wheel Spider?

A wheel spider is an amazingly unique creature found in the Namib Desert in southern Africa. Also called a golden wheel spider or a dancing white lady spider, the wheel spider evades predators by burrowing into the sand or by rolling itself into a ball and cartwheeling down sand dunes at a remarkable speed. The spider's primary predator is the parasitic pompilid wasp.

One typically expects to find spiders where there is vegetation or other structures in which to build webs to capture prey. The wheel spider is among some of the more than 400,000 spider species which do not build webs. They are nocturnal hunters, which means they hunt at night, and their prey is insects, which they inject with venom. The spider's venom is not considered to be harmful to humans, however.

Typical wheel spiders are about three fourths of an inch (20 mm) in diameter. They are also called dancing white lady spiders because of their color. The spider camouflages itself against the sand dunes through its unique whitish color, blending into the sand around it. Its species name is carparachne aureoflava, and it is among a family of so-called huntsman spiders, also called giant crab spiders because of their appearance.

During the day, this spider rests mostly protected from predators within a burrow it digs in the sand. The burrow can extend more than 15 inches (40 cm) below the surface of the sand. During the process, the spider astoundingly lifts more than 80,000 times its own body weight to dig the burrow.

The wheel spider is so named because of its technique to avoid predators. It rolls into a ball and flings itself down a sand dune. Rolling at an astounding rate of as much as 44 turns per second, the spider can outrun a wasp. It then attempts to burrow itself into another hole before hunting again at night.

The primary predator of this spider is the parasitic pompilid wasp, commonly called a spider wasp. The pompilid wasp is a solitary wasp which uses the spider as a host for feeding its larvae. The spider is paralyzed by the wasp's stinger and taken to another inconspicuous location where there is already a nest, or where it will build one. There, the wasp will lay an egg on the abdomen of the spider, which is still alive, and the egg will eventually turn into another wasp. The spider dies at some point in this process.

The wheel spider (Carparachne aureoflava) is a desert-dwelling arachnid native to the Namib Desert of Southern Africa. It's renowned for its unique defense mechanism of cartwheeling down sand dunes to escape predators, a behavior that has fascinated both scientists and nature enthusiasts.

When threatened, the wheel spider flips onto its side and rapidly curls its legs, forming a wheel-like shape. It then propels itself down sand dunes with a series of rapid, acrobatic somersaults, reaching speeds of up to 44 turns per second, according to research published in scientific journals on arachnid behavior.

The wheel spider must outmaneuver predators like the pompilid wasp, which seeks to paralyze it and use it as living food for its larvae. The spider's cartwheeling escape is crucial for survival, as it can quickly put distance between itself and these relentless hunters.

As an inhabitant of the arid Namib Desert, the wheel spider preys on insects that can survive in such extreme conditions. Its diet mainly consists of ants and other small arthropods, which it captures using its speed and agility.

The wheel spider has adapted to the harsh desert environment with a light-colored body that reflects sunlight and helps it blend into the sandy surroundings. Its burrowing habits also aid in temperature regulation and protection from predators, as it creates a silk-lined burrow to retreat into during the hottest parts of the day.

There is limited data on the wheel spider's conservation status. However, like many specialized desert species, it could be vulnerable to habitat disruption and climate change. Conservation efforts in the Namib Desert aim to protect the unique biodiversity, including the wheel spider, by managing tourism and minimizing human impact.