Cobweb spider vs Lobo gris

Enoplognatha thoracica compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

  • Cobweb spider is Vulnerable while Lobo gris is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Cobweb spider Lobo gris
Kingdom same Animalia (Animals) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (artrópodos) Chordata (cordados)
Class Arachnida (arácnidos) Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order Araneae (araña) Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family Theridiidae Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus Enoplognatha Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species Enoplognatha thoracica Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

Cobweb spider and Lobo gris share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cobweb spider

VU — Vulnerable

Lobo gris

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Cobweb spider Lobo gris
Diet Carnivore
Average Lifespan 13 years
Average Length 1.6 m
Average Weight 45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobweb spider

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Lobo gris

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cobweb spider

Enoplognatha thoracica is a slender cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae, a widespread group of three-dimensional web-building spiders found across the temperate regions of Europe and North America. This small spider, typically measuring 3–5 millimeters in body length, constructs irregular, tangled cobwebs in low vegetation, hedgerows, meadow margins, and scrubby habitats where it captures small flying and crawling arthropods. The body is pale yellowish-brown to creamy white with darker markings on the abdomen, and the legs are long and slender relative to body size, adapted for navigating the three-dimensional structure of its web. Like other theridiids, Enoplognatha thoracica uses a gum-foot trap technique in which sticky vertical threads attached to the substrate at their lower ends snap insects upward when disturbed, immobilizing prey effectively. The species occupies a range spanning much of Europe eastward into temperate Asia and has established populations in parts of North America, likely through accidental human-mediated dispersal. Females produce egg sacs that are guarded within the web until hatching. The species is associated with disturbed and edge habitats and tolerates moderate agricultural landscapes. It is classified as Vulnerable by some assessments, reflecting localized population pressures from habitat loss and intensification of land use in parts of its range, though other evaluations consider it more broadly secure.

Lobo gris

El lobo gris (Canis lupus), el cánido silvestre más ampliamente distribuido, se extiende desde América del Norte a través de Eurasia en hábitats diversos que incluyen la tundra, bosques y praderas. Son animales altamente sociales que viven en manadas familiares lideradas por una pareja reproductora dominante. Como depredadores clave, los lobos regulan las poblaciones de presas y moldean profundamente la estructura del ecosistema, como demostró su reintroducción en Yellowstone. Antes muy perseguidos, las poblaciones se están recuperando en muchas regiones.

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