Britain's biggest spider has come back from the brink of extinction. The fen raft spider can walk on water but poses no risk to human.
The spiders, which are about the size of a human palm, are now increasing in numbers. A RSPB report said the species now numbers in its thousands.
Ten years ago, it was at risk of disappearing from Britain altogether before numbers started to rise, MirrorOnline reports. But the semi-aquatic spider is unlikely to be scuttling behind your sofa or under wardrobes, in good news for arachnophobes.
The fen raft spider has a dark body and cream stripes down the side. It is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act due to its high risk of extinction.
The spider has a leg span of three inches. It is the biggest of Britain's 660 spider species.
The RSPB's Tim Strudwick said: "This is one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates, as beautiful as any, and we are really proud of the part our reserve and team has played in its recovery.
"The females are impressive in size, but elegant and quite beautiful, even to an arachnophobe (like me!)."
The best chance of spotting them is in the wetland areas, such as RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in the Norfolk Broads.
Tim continued: "The spiders are only seen in the grazing marsh ditches, and are fairly shy, but they are easy to find from June to September when the mature females have their young.
A pioneering translocation project between conservation partners and funders - which included the RSPB, as well as the British Arachnological Society, Suffolk and Sussex Wildlife Trusts, Natural England, and the Broads Authority - has helped give the species a shot in the arm.
Up until 2010 there were only three known populations in the UK, leaving the species very vulnerable and at real risk. Two years later they were first released onto the RSPB reserve in the hopes of giving the species a chance.
But it's taken time for a significant impact to be felt. Nursery webs amounted to just 184 during the July-October 2014 season.
