{"id":39878,"date":"2024-08-29T17:40:19","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T15:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ac288d6b-137b-4f58-b842-056e5da6be8b"},"modified":"2024-08-29T19:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T17:26:39","slug":"discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Britain&#8217;s biggest spiders, giant arachnids with legs up to 7cm long"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">Discover Britain&#8217;s largest spiders that roam the UK&#8217;s landscapes and homes, from the damp undergrowth of gardens and ditches to the shadowy corners of buildings <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Thursday, 29 August 2024 at 15:40 PM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Britain is home to a surprising array of impressive spiders, some of which rival the size of a small mouse. These <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/arachnids-guide\">arachnids<\/a> can be found in various habitats across the country, from the damp corners of gardens and ditches to the hidden crevices of our homes.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/insects-invertebrates\/british-spider-guide-common-species-to-identify-and-where-to-find-them\">British spider guide &#8211; and why there are so many around<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/wildlife\/britains-tarantula-purseweb-spider\">Meet Britain&#8217;s tarantula, the purseweb spider<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p>Here\u2019s a closer look at the giants of the spider world in the UK and where you might encounter them.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-britain-s-biggest-spiders\">Britain&#8217;s biggest spiders<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tube-web-spider\"><strong>Tube-web spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><em>Segestria florentina<\/em><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">By Luis Miguel Bugallo S\u00e1nchez (Lmbuga Commons)(Lmbuga Galipedia) &#8211; Commons., CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=884054<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Females can grow to a body length of 22mm. Originally from Southern Europe, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/tube-web-spider\">tube-web spider<\/a> is a shy species that lives on walls and fences. Currently, it is found only in southern England, Wales, and near ports. This spider is known for its sharp, painful bite.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wasp-spider\"><strong>Wasp spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><em>Argiope bruennichi<\/em><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/08\/Wap-spider.mp4\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>It&#8217;s easy to see how the wasp spider earned its name, with its striped abdomen and legs. As the largest orb-weaver in Britain, females often grow to a body length of 20mm. Originally from mainland Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, this striking spider is now commonly spotted in gardens across southern England.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-nursery-web-spider\"><strong>Nursery-web spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><em>Pisaura mirabilis<\/em><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video controls=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/08\/Pisaura-mirabilis.mp4\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty video<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The nursery-web spider is a common resident of woodlands and can sometimes be found in long grass and hedgerows, though it is rare in Scotland. Females can have a leg span of up to 50mm. When their young are about to hatch, they weave nursery webs around their egg sacs for protection &#8211; hence their name.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cardinal-spider\"><strong>Cardinal spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><em><strong>Tegenaria parietina<\/strong><\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1669\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/08\/Cardinal-spider-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-191552\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Getty images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>With a body length of up to 20mm and legs reaching up to 60mm, the spotty cardinal spider certainly earns its spot among Britain&#8217;s largest spiders. It can be found in and around buildings in southern England.<\/p><p>Legend has it that Cardinal Wolsey, who was said to be terrified of these spiders, inspired the name.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-house-spider\"><strong>House spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><em>Tegenaria duellica\u00a0<\/em>(formerly\u00a0<em>gigantea<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2121\" height=\"1414\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2024\/08\/house-spider.jpg?fit=1024,1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-191553\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A typical spider from a UK household, against a white background.<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Often regarded as the largest arachnid to venture into UK homes, the females can have an impressive leg span of up to 75mm, measured from tip to tip.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fen-raft-spider\"><strong>Fen raft spider<\/strong><\/h3><p><strong><em>Dolomedes plantarius<\/em><\/strong><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ZSL London Zoo work to save the fen raft spider\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gO2s7nCvIvw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>Britain&#8217;s biggest spider is the fen raft spider. With a leg span of up to 70mm and a body length of 23mm, this giant might give you quite a surprise if it dashed across your carpet! Luckily, this uncommon spider is usually found in marshy ditches, canals, and fen ponds rather than in homes.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/biggest-spiders-in-the-world\">The biggest spiders in the world: meet huge arachnids as big as dinner plates<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/insects-invertebrates\/spider-silk-vs-caterpillar-silk\">What&#8217;s the difference between spider silk and caterpillar silk?<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover Britain&#8217;s largest spiders that roam the UK&#8217;s landscapes and homes, from the damp undergrowth of gardens and ditches to the shadowy corners of buildings <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":39879,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long.jpg",2121,1414,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2024\/08\/discover-britains-biggest-spiders-giant-arachnids-with-legs-up-to-7cm-long-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Discover Britain's largest spiders that roam the UK's landscapes and homes, from the damp undergrowth of gardens and ditches to the shadowy corners of buildings","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/39878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}