Does Britain have tarantulas? Yes says Nick Baker, or at least a spider that belongs to the same family. Meet the purse-web spider

By Nick Baker

Published: Thursday, 09 November 2023 at 10:03 AM


There is nothing like a big spider to get a pulse racing. And while I appreciate this is often for the wrong reason, for me and many other arachnophiles, this group of creatures provides infinite avenues of fascination.

What is the purse-web spider?

The purse-web spider is one of my absolute favourites. While it may not be Britain’s biggest spider, it is certainly one of its more interesting. Found mainly in the south of the country, this nationally scarce spider, Atypus affinis, is a real oddball.

It often surprises folk to learn that we share our islands with a member of the mygalomorphs; a group that also includes the spiders we like to refer to as tarantulas, as well as other much maligned and misunderstood species, such as mouse, funnel-web and trap-door spiders.