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Britain’s largest breed spiderSpiders that can grow to the size of a mouse and prey on fish are making a comeback in the UK.
Since 2010, when it was on the verge of extinction (when its wetland home was destroyed by humans and only a few survived), Swamp Spider Thanks to recent conservation efforts, it is now steadily increasing.
Spider populations in nature reserves managed by RSBP are expected to have their best year on record.
The conservation charity revealed that recent surveys estimated the total number of female spiders to be as high as 3,750 at 12 sites in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads alone.
This spider can spin a web up to 25 centimeters in diameter and can grow as large as a human palm.
“The marsh raft spider is one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates and we’re proud of the role our sanctuary and team are playing in its recovery,” Tim Stradwick, RSPB site manager at Mid Yar Nature Reserve, where many of the spiders live, told the Daily Mail.
Marsh raft spiders have brown or black bodies with white or creamy stripes on their sides. They can grow to nearly 3 inches (8 cm) across and are the largest of the 660 native spider species in the UK.
The species lives only in swamps, marshes, and wetlands, gliding across the water using their hairy legs.
“These spiders play an important role in maintaining the rich aquatic diversity in our reserve’s grazing ditches. The females are an amazing size and are absolutely beautiful – they are really special,” added Mr Strudwick.
The spiders are not venomous but are semi-aquatic, able to swim across the water to catch prey, which includes other spiders, damselflies, dragonfly larvae, and even fish and tadpoles.
Mr Stradwick added that the spiders can also be seen at another RSPB site in Norfolk, but they are “quite shy”.
They are most easily found in grazed marsh ditches from June to September.
He added: “Visitors are most likely to see adult female penguins and their gleaming nursery webs at Stratham Swamp by walking along the grassy paths, so now is the perfect time to visit the reserve.”
Jane Sears, an RSPB ecologist who is also involved in the conservation of marsh raft spiders, told reporters: “The RSPB has played an important role in the reintroduction of these spiders, which means we must continue to restore, manage and protect the wetland habitats where marsh raft spiders thrive to ensure the future of this species, and many others.”
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