raft spider

[jerrythesnake]

Hi, this is supposed to be Britains biggest spider, the water spider.bet some of you guys think this is just a tiddler(2.5inch)

[JohnnyG]

Cool shot, I like it!!!

[LordV]

Excellent capture- well if that's the body only length then it's a monster :)
Brian v.

[Action_Man]

That is a nice image but i have seen a spider quite a lot bigger than that ;) ...

[Omri Alon]

Nice shot. Sharp. Good colors.
:D:D

[racketman]

That is a nice image but i have seen a spider quite a lot bigger than that ;) ...

not wild in the UK you haven't - it was pointed out as our biggest spider by Bill Oddie on TV this month so it must be true.

Good shot.

[Action_Man]

Well i suppose i depends on how you measure them, i measured the one i found by its legs :) ...

[jerrythesnake]

I have seen some massive ones in our bath, i ask my wife to get them out cos i reckon they bite.(house spiders)

[racketman]

I have seen some massive ones in our bath, i ask my wife to get them out cos i reckon they bite.(house spiders)

the male house spider seen wandering across your living room when searching for a mate may have larger leg span I guess. Maybe they go by body size.

bit here: http://www.digitalwildlife.co.uk/britishwildlife/misc/Raftspider.htm

lot more here - got its own website! http://www.wavcott.org.uk/dolomedes/

[jerrythesnake]

the male house spider seen wandering across your living room when searching for a mate may have larger leg span I guess. Maybe they go by body size.

bit here: http://www.digitalwildlife.co.uk/britishwildlife/misc/Raftspider.htm

lot more here - got its own website! http://www.wavcott.org.uk/dolomedes/Hi Racketman, yes you are right they do go by body size, just my little joke:lol:

[Action_Man]

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(7).htm


These are the largest spiders found in Britain with the female gaining a size of 22 mm and the male only 10 - 13 mm. The males are more clearly marked than the females.

[jerrythesnake]

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(7).htmThose measurements given on that site is obviously a misprint cos that is tiny!

[jerrythesnake]

Those measurements given on that site is obviously a misprint cos that is tiny!Although looking at a book it does state those measurements , how can this be they are massive spiders:confused:

[Action_Man]

I think he estimated it by the legs like i do , which would make it around 2.1/2" ? ...

[dpastern]

I'd say the 22mm is body length only, so, adding the legs makes them a LOT larger. England is lucky, it doesn't have to deal with the likes of primitive spiders like Funnelwebs, mouse spiders, etc. Not only are they large, but they are highly toxic, and highly aggressive. Of course, we have a few "small" spiders down under, one of the largest is the Red Brown Huntsman (Delena cancerides), with the female measuring around 35mm in body length. I'm sure we have some bird spiders even larger than that in the tropics ;)

Your spider looks related to the Wolf family from what I can see. It also looks like it's a male (and pretty much all male spiders are smaller than their female counterparts from what I've been reading).

Dave

[jerrythesnake]

wish i was in australia , you are so lucky, kind regards, Jerry