Giant spiders the size of rats making a comeback in UK
Giant spiders the size of rats making a comeback in UK
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.
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.
Plot twist: they're already in your house.
(I'm hacking around with Cataclysm Dark Days Ahead at the moment) Noooooo!!!!!
I thought they looked like the dock spiders we have in Minnesota, turns out they're the same thing. Utterly terrifying but completely harmless.
Noooo reading this I thought I was safe being all the way over here :( whyyyy
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.
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.
Maybe it's a baby rat. I'm going to believe it's a baby rat.
They hunt fish. There's no need to worry if you aren't fish.
If only arachnophobia were so logical
This is going to be really great for my next level one restart. I'm going to be able to get so much xp as soon as I get my hands on a dagger and a clumsily constructed wooden shield.
Devs are finally making some good changes, although small.
Wikipedia says "70 mm including the legs" btw. So not even close to the size of a rat
They are the size of rats the size of spiders.
Can't argue with that
Doesn't matter, arm thyself with a flamethrower anyway
Could be a baby rat.
Time to push the country into the sun.
Always uplifting to see a struggling native species doing well. Hope I get to see one of these beauties up close one day, shame they are still limited to just a few locations.
That's so nice! I'm so happy for them! Is there a map of exactly where they're making a comeback so I can avoid those places particularly!
Awesome
I have a large garden spider in my house, me and it have a policy, out of sight out of deaths reach. If a spider the size of that thumbnail enters my house, there will be no places to hide, I will kos. Besides there are no rats here only flies.
Up until recently I had cedar roofing and when I pulled it off there were so many spiders that got unhomed. I felt bad about that especially since I put a metal roof on and there's nowhere for them to hide now.
The spiders got their revenge though because after I unhomed all of the spiders that were protecting my house I started getting ants or the occasional bug here or there.
Fortunately, the spiders have now moved under my decks and into the cedar siding on the house and they are once again protecting my house from unwanted pests.
I love me some spiders, I don't want to touch them I don't want to deal with them but when I see them hanging out I'm like cool thanks for taking care of the place my friend.
No
Wet Australia
Christ, now I know why my ancestors moved to the US, haha.
and how would that explain people moving to Australia
Thats not a spider, this is a spider
points to all of australia.
But can they eat rats?
a power struggle between the spiders and rats begins, with each slowly growing bigger to outpower each other, years pass and we have dog sized spider and rats, and dog kind joins in... a few years later we have cow sized spiders,rats, and dogs... it never ends.
And one day if rats and spiders breed, I will be remember in History as the personn who reintroduce dragons in my country 😨
It can eat them but catching and killing might be trickier.
and hunts fish
Sufficient info for me
Well if it can eat rats, I might try to introduce this specie in my niehbourhood.
Where's saint Patrick when we need him?