…And people are celebrating.
By Brian Clark Howard
PUBLISHED JUNE 20, 2016
The majority of people taking an online
poll describe this news as "terrifying," but scientists are
cheering the comeback of a large, endangered spider in the U.K. It's a recovery
that was made possible by the recent release of hundreds of captive-bred
individuals.
The fen raft spider (Dolomedes
plantarius), which can grow up to three inches (7.6 centimeters) long and
sometimes eats fish, is the largest species of spider in the U.K. It is also
endangered. That's why scientists from the London-area zoo Chessington World of
Adventures have been breeding
it in captivity.
You shouldn't be scared—it's not
dangerous to people and actually plays an important role in its ecosystem.
In response to their efforts,
Chessington World of Adventures was recently presented with a gold conservation award from
the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Also called great raft spiders,
the brown or black arachnids have white or cream stripes along their sides.
They live in fens and marshes, where they often skim across the surface of the
water (buoyed up by the hairs on their legs).
The spiders feast on other
spiders, insects, tadpoles, and small fish, which they catch on the surface of
the water.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!