Up to 3,750 female fen raft spiders believed to be at 12 sites across the UK now

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.

  • Llamatron@lemmy.worldEnglish
    63·
    3 months 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.

      • j4k3@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        3 months ago

        (I’m hacking around with Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead at the moment) Noooooo!!!

    • ArmokGoB@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      12·
      3 months 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.worldEnglish
      9·
      3 months 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.

    • j4yt33English
      6·
      3 months 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.orgEnglish
        2·
        3 months 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 are diving bell spiders.

        • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
          5·
          3 months ago

          The only spider you will mostly find in a lake are diving bell spiders.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_bell_spider

          The diving bell spider or water spider (Argyroneta aquatica) is the only species of spider known to live almost entirely under water.

          That sounds neat.

          Their bite is often described as being very painful to humans and as causing localised inflammation, vomiting, and slight feverishness that disappears after 5-10 days.

          That sounds less agreeable than the giant raft spider.

          • tobogganablaze@lemmus.orgEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            Their bite is often described as being very painful to humans and as causing localised inflammation, vomiting, and slight feverishness that disappears after 5-10 days.

            That sounds less agreeable than the giant raft spider.

            Sentence after that:

            However, solid evidence is lacking

            It’s really hard to get bitten by any spider. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to get bitten by spider that lives underwater. I have to check those wiki sources …

        • j4yt33English
          2·
          3 months ago

          Ah I misunderstood that a fen is actually a thing (non-native speaker here). So I correct my original post to “if you don’t live in a fen”

          • janNatan@lemmy.mlEnglish
            2·
            3 months ago

            As a native speaker, I’ve never heard the word “fen” in my life. So, that’s probably why they didn’t say that.

              • janNatan@lemmy.mlEnglish
                3·
                3 months ago

                Oh, I guess it was you who didn’t say fen. But it’s probably more correct to leave “fen” out, at least if you want to be understood. It is not s common word. I had to look it up.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      5·
      3 months 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.