Fishing spiders - nature's creepiest success story

[Judi Lynn]

BY BEC CREW | SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
Meet the fishing spiders.

Contributor
Bec Crew

FOR MANY OF US, the idea that water itself is no escape from spiders is not great. They lurk in our bushlands, our gardens, our back sheds, our bedrooms – we’ve already got snakes to think about in the water, do we have to worry about spiders in there, too?

The short answer is, not really, because fishing spiders are far more interested in fish than they are in biting humans. The more complicated answer is yes, because my irrational fear cares not for your logic.

Regardless of how you feel about spiders existing in water, they’re there, and for once, we can’t just blame Australia for this nightmare. Fishing spiders are found on every continent on Earth, bar Antarctica.

Most of them belong to the Dolomedes and Nilus genera, which means fishing spiders aren’t impossibly tiny cuties à la jumping spiders. Nope, these are sizeable spiders – the leg-span of a female Dolomedes can stretch to as much as 9 cm long.

More:
https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-blog/2018/09/fishing-spiders-natures-creepiest-success-story/

[hunter]

1. Video Warning: Do not watch if you fear spiders.