Oh Good – Tarantulas Are In The UK, And They Hide In Sock-Like Webs

Spider Web in a forest groundLast year, the RSPB joyfully announced it had been successful in bringing huge, fish-eating fen raft spiders back from the brink of extinction (apparently on purpose). The rat-sized arachnids are crucial for delicate marsh and wetlands ecosystems, it seems.But per wildlife researcher Adele Brand, it turns out we’ve also had tarantulas in the UK the whole time, too. It’s just that our one species of ‘tarantula’ – a broad term that refers to multiple large, hairy spiders – hides in a sock-like home. Wait, are there tarantulas in the UK?Brand told Countryfile that we have one species that belongs to the order that tarantulas are in: the purseweb spider (Atypus affinis). She called it “Britain’s only tarantula.”They live exceptionally long for a spider – about seven years – and are most visible in autumn, when the male spiders go out looking for a mate.The length of the female purseweb spider’s body, that is, without the legs, can be almost 2cm. “It spends most of its life inside [a] silken tube, which has variously been compared to an old purse and a dirty sock – hence its name,” Brand shared. This web, which can reach 25cm, mostly hides underground, with only the top third or so peeking above it. It sits in wait in its tube until a passing beetle or other prey sends vibration down its sock-like home; only then does it pounce on its food.In other words, purseweb spiders work from home and, as Brand joked, survive on delivered takeaways (hey, maybe we’d get on better than I thought).Where are purseweb spiders in the UK?They’re mostly found in the South-East of the country, though they’ve been spotted along the coast in places like North Wales and even South West Scotland. According to the British Arachnological Society, “If the spider is seen, itschunky appearance and relatively large, protruding jaws are unlike any other British species”. But you and I will probably never actually spot one. Not only are they quite rare, but purseweb spiders are also very indoorsy; they rarely venture from their underground web.Related...Let’s Settle This — Do We Actually Swallow Spiders In Our Sleep?This 1 Common Window Mistake Tempts Spiders Into Your HomeOh Good – Rat-Sized, Fish-Eating Spiders Are Having A UK Comeback

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