Spiders the size of your HAND ‘spreading in UK’ – and can even walk on water

BRITAIN'S biggest spider is making a shudder-inducing comeback.

According to conservationists, numbers of the fen raft spider – which grow to the size of your palm – are on the rise for the first time in years.

The species, which is harmless to people, is making a remarkable recovery having been on the brink of extinction just ten years ago.

Numbers of the creepy-crawly have now reached the thousands, according to an RSPB report released this week.

It's found in wetlands at a handful of sites across the U.K., including near RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in the Norfolk Broads.

RSPB's Tim Strudwick said: "This is one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates, as beautiful as any, and we are really proud of the part our reserve and team has played in its recovery.

"The females are impressive in size, but elegant and quite beautiful, even to an arachnophobe (like me!)."

The fen raft has a massive leg span of up to three inches and is the largest of the UK’s 660 species of eight-legged critters.

Hunting by running on the surface of ponds and marshes, it feeds off of smaller spiders and can even tackle prey as large as a small fish.

The species is typically shy and lives away from populated areas, though the critters could end up in your garden.

It can be identified by the striking cream stripes against its cigar-shaped, dark bodies.

The fen raft is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act due to its high risk of extinction.

Zookeepers and conservationists have been working on a breeding programme since 2011 in a bid to boost numbers.

The recently launched RSPB Ecology Report assessed the state of Britain's wildlife, including the struggling fen raft.

It showed that in 2021 the total number of females found in the Mid Yare area of the Norfolk Broads is believed to now be in the thousands.

The species is now present in 111 one-hectare grid squares at two fens on the Norfolk Broads, the report said.

Tim continued: "The spiders are only seen in the grazing marsh ditches, and are fairly shy, but they are easy to find from June to September when the mature females have their young."

While rising spider numbers may send chills down the spines of some, there is one glimmer of hope for arachnophobes.

The cigar-shaped spider doesn’t lurk in the corners of houses but prefers the watery surroundings of the wetlands.

According to the Suffolk Wildlife Trust: “It is large, beautiful and found not in dry dusty corners, but on sparkling water surfaces in our richest wetlands.

“One of our rarest species, fen raft spiders were first discovered in the UK at the Trust’s Redgrave and Lopham Fen reserve in 1956.

"They have since been found at only two more sites – in southern England and South Wales.

“With dark, cigar-shaped bodies highlighted by white or cream go-faster stripes, the fen raft spider is a striking animal.

“It lives around the margins of water bodies such as fen pools and grazing marsh ditches where it sits and waits for prey.

"It is a formidable hunter above and below water, taking prey much larger than itself, including large dragonfly larvae and even sticklebacks!"

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