Monday, May 31, 2010

Arachnophobes look away

I found one of my favorite spiders today, the Fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus).

Whenever someone comes to me, holds their hands 6" apart, and proclaims "the spider was THIS BIG!" I know that it was a fishing spider, and that their memory was a bit exaggerated. Their maximum legspan is about 3", which is still impressive for a spider in the Northeast US.

They are not dangerous, as evidenced below. Though perhaps it's only by luck that I play with so many spiders and have not yet been bitten. I think this species is particularly beautiful.
This is what I'm sure will freak some people out... I was letting her crawl all over me, and got a short video clip of her running up my arm. Those toes tickle!

5 comments:

Beth Bridger said...

Why is it called a "fishing spider"?

Weird Bug Lady said...

They tend to live near water, and are able to capture fish and other aquatic creatures.

Ted C. MacRae said...

Awesome video!

Beth Bridger said...

Oh! I think we saw one at the alewife fish ladder in Damariscotta Mills, Maine. It was just hanging out on a rock, watching the fish go by.

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