The UK’s largest breed of spiders, which can grow to the size of rats and hunts fish, are making a comeback in Britain.
From near-extinction in 2010 - when only a handful remained as their wetland homes were destroyed by humans - the number of fen raft spiders are now steadily increasing thanks to recent conservation efforts.
The spiders are set to have their best year on record at nature reserves ran by RSBP.
The conservation charity revealed that the most recent survey estimates the total number of female spiders to be up to 3,750 across 12 sites in Norfolk and Suffolk Broads alone.
The spider can spin a web as large as 25cm and can grow to the size of a man’s hand.
Wikipedia says “70 mm including the legs” btw. So not even close to the size of a rat
llamatron@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I’m sorry what? We have a native spider the size of a rat? Why did I not know this. This is important information.
I am never leaving the house again.
Emperor@feddit.uk 4 weeks ago
Plot twist: they’re already in your house.
j4k3@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
(I’m hacking around with Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead at the moment) Noooooo!!!
ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
I saw one on the wall when I was staying just outside Guildford. I was in disbelief that I would see such a thing in Europe.
IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
I thought they looked like the dock spiders we have in Minnesota, turns out they’re the same thing. Utterly terrifying but completely harmless.
YarHarSuperstar@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Noooo reading this I thought I was safe being all the way over here :( whyyyy
j4yt33@feddit.org 4 weeks ago
I don’t think you’re likely to ever come across one if you don’t live in a lake, they have only been identified in a handful of places.
tobogganablaze@lemmus.org 4 weeks ago
They usually are found around the shore or river banks only walking onto the water for hunting. The only spider you will mostly find in a lake a diving bell spiders.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 4 weeks ago
they’re apparently 7cm wide including the legs, so more like the size of a mouse and even then it’s being a bit generous.
floofloof@lemmy.ca 4 weeks ago
Maybe it’s a baby rat. I’m going to believe it’s a baby rat.
cheddar@programming.dev 4 weeks ago
They hunt fish. There’s no need to worry if you aren’t fish.
llamatron@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
If only arachnophobia were so logical