this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2024
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UK Nature and Environment

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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.

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[–] werefreeatlast 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Great???? Anyone?? This is good right?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Spider meat burritos are about to get even more affordable in the UK, seriously I can't wait

[–] werefreeatlast 5 points 4 months ago

....3 more spideritos please! And a side of legs! Fried!

[–] skeletorfw 11 points 4 months ago

This is good, I promise! Unless you're an arachnophobe who made their home literally in a fen I guess...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I didn't know UK rats were this tiny.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Jokes on you

Actually the headline of ops article is an exaggeration. The spider only grow upt to 8cm.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

Oh I'm well aware. News article about spiders usually get the size wrong. And most other things.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago (3 children)

The article is very poorly written. Saying they can grow to the size of a mans hand? Good thing that all men have the same size hands.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It's also not the "The UK’s largest breed of spiders". If they are going by legspan (which they have to do to get anywhere near hand size) then Tegenaria parietina has it easily beaten.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

Their webs grow up to 25cm in diameter, but they themselves are much smaller(up to 8cm)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago

Plus the article is referring to total leg span as its size, where many people are thinking of the size of the spider's body. They're not very big, nowhere near the size of most tarantulas. They're so small and light they can literally walk on water.