A dark fishing spider pauses on the edge of the enclosure that she has spent the winter in. The sun makes her look a gorgeous orange color!

The fishing spider sits on some bark, looking at the camera. She is saying goodbye!

The fishing spider sits on the same piece of bark, this time looking out into the woods.

today i released my winter residents! miss spots scuttled right off, but pretzel stopped for some glamour shots in the sun ✨ #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #arachnophiles

A picture of a fishing spider relaxing on a piece of bark in her enclosure. She is a mixture of different browns, greys, and a bit of orange that match very well with the bark.

pretzel sometimes developes this really pretty orange color on the sides of her abdomen, i love it 😊 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #arachnophiles

A fishing spider is positioned so she is flat against a piece of bark. She has intricate patterns all over that are made of the same exact colors as the bark, which makes her great at blending in.

a close up of pretzel's camouflage 🔍 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #arachnophiles

A fishing spider is perched on the edge of a large reptile water dish in her enclosure. Three of her feet are in the water as she angles down to get a sip.

pretzel taking a morning sip from her pond! i've never seen her do this before 😊 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #arachnophiles

Female Fen Rat Spider Dolomedes plantarius holding her silk egg sac full of hatched spiderlings

Female Fen Raft Spider Dolomedes plantarius spinning her egg sac. Image thanks to Sheila Tilmouth

Swaddled in the finest #silk #evolution has provided, and watched over by their protective mother, c. 700 newly hatched Fen Raft #Spider -lings await emergence into a world that's left them globally #RedListed & vulnerable to extinction. #Dolomedes plantarius @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social #Christmas

A fishing spider is resting on a branch in her enclosure. She has an intricate pattern made of various browns and grays, which help her blend in incredibly well with the bark.

pretzel could start her own line of where's waldo books! i looked everywhere and she was right in front of my face (as always) 🤭 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #arachnophiles

New research in #RESInsectConsDiv

Occupancy changes over the summer of the rare fen raft #spider #Dolomedes plantarius in a drained fen strongly depend on vegetation structure
doi.org/10.1111/icad.70048

#Fens #Conservation #RaftSpiders #Habitats
@manusaunders.bsky.social @wileyeco.bsky.social

A fishing spider is stretched out, relaxing on some fake ferns in her enclosure. She is showing off her long legs.

pretzel has found a new nap spot and honestly looks relaxed as hell 💤 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

pretzel would like to thank everyone for the attention on her picture! that's the most likes any of my spider pictures have ever gotten 💖 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fishing spider is enjoying a nice cricket. She is dangling off of a branch, her back four legs touching it. Her front four legs are focused on holding her meal.

pretzel's advanced eating pose tonight 🦗 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A picture of the underside of a spider who is climbing on a clear enclosure wall. In roughly the middle of her, there is a light dot, which may indicate she is female.

i got an even better picture of pretzel, and i can not find another ventral picture of her species, so i'm posting it here for science! 🧐 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fishing spider on the wall of her enclosure, freshly molted. Her molt is right next to her.

woke up to find pretzel has finished her molt 💖 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fishing spider rests, nearly blending in with the bark behind her. She is facing directly at the camera and her legs are all spread out dramatically in different directions. She is showing off her beautiful inkblot pattern on her abdomen.

pretzel just feels like voguing today ✨ #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fishing spider rests on a branch as if she is royalty. She is stretched out and relaxed, showing off the stripes on her legs.

pretzel is big lounging today! 🥨💕 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fishing spider sits on a branch, blending in very well with the bark. She has memorizing patterns made of various browns, looking sort of like an inkblot test on her abdomen.

i can get much better pictures of pretzel in her new enclosure! i'm so glad 😊 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A dark fishing spider sits on a section of a branch. She has an intricate pattern made of various browns, which help her blend in incredibly well on the bark. She is very hard to spot from any sort of distance.

The new enclosure. There is a reptile water dish acting as a pond, but the majority of the enclosure is bark, sticks, leaves, and pine needles. She is in plain sight, but I highly doubt you'll be able to find her!

The enclosure from directly above, giving a better idea of the layout. It was a bit hard to see in the last picture, with all the bark blending into each other.

pretzel got a big upgrade today! she has a small pond now, but this species of fishing spider prefers wooded areas to water, so the majority of the enclosure is bark for her to blend in with. i don't know how i'll ever find her now 😅 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A picture of a fishing spider on the wall of her enclosure, looking really pretty in the lighting. She's decorated in intricate patterns made of various browns. Her legs are striped, and her abdomen looks like an inkblot test. All I see in it is a cutie!

The same spider, this time on a branch in her enclosure. She is the same exact colors as the bark, so you wouldn't be able to see her from any sort of distance. A lot of times I can't find her when she's right in front of my face!

day 6 of reposting my favorite pictures of my spiders for #arachtober 😊

here we have pretzel! she's so gorgeous, but half the time i can't find her, haha! 🥨 #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus #fishingspider #spider #arachnid #invertebrate

Image of headlines from The Sun, Daily Express and Time Out showing Dolomedes (Raft spider) species and misleading headlines

'Tis the season to be silly - again @thesun.co.uk, @express.co.uk among others.
Last year's quotes, this year's new misinformation: these still extremely rare animals are now thriving in a few restored wetlands but are NOT 'in our homes' #responsiblejournalism @patrickbarkham.bsky.social #Dolomedes

A fishing spider is on the wall of her enclosure. She has gorgeous patterning, including stripes on her legs and intricate spots and markings all over her body.

it's hard to get good pictures of pretzel through her enclosure, so this one is a real treat! 🥨💕 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A picture of a brown fishing spider. She's resting on a brown piece of wood, which is pretty much the exact same colors as her.

pretzel is doing well! she's a little too good at blending in sometimes, and has me getting all worried when she's right in front of my face 🤭 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A dark fishing spider. She's sitting on a piece of bark and a large oak leaf.

A spider enclosure made out of an Utz's pretzel rod container. There is different pieces of bark, sticks, and other natural materials for the fishing spider to blend in with.

put together an enclosure for the fishing spider! i'm not sure how long i'll keep them, but they'll have it good while staying at the eddie spider resort 💖 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A dark fishing spider in a cup. Her abdomen is nice and plump, indicating she might molt soon, and she is missing the third leg on her right side.

The same spider the next week. She has recently molted and is resting on a piece of bark. The leg she was missing has regrown, though it's a little shorter and paler than her other legs right now.

a regular brought me a dark fishing spider from her house last week for me to observe, and this morning she molted and grew her missing leg back! i'm so happy for her 😊 #spider #fishingspider #dolomedes #dolomedestenebrosus

A fuzzy, mottled, tan and pale green spider sits on a leaf, raised up off the surfaces with its legs in strange positions.

Awkward spider looks caught in the act 😳 😂

#Dolomedes albineus #fishingspider

A large dark brown spider with its legs spread to full length, clinging to a roll of paper towels.

Hello, spider! Are you going to help me clean my kitchen? 🙂

Dark fishing spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus.
#inverts #spider #dolomedes

A low angle photo of a large black, brown and white spider that is resting on the surface of swamp water. The spider's long legs are black and covered in spine-like hairs and are able to support the spider on the water's surface tension. The spider's body has a white stripe that encircles the lower side, the 8 shiny black eyes are arrayed on the front of the cephalothorax and have tiny arched hairs that almost resemble eyebrows. The spider's abdomen has a creamy yellow/white stripe down the center and 3 small white dots on either side of it giving it its name. The water the spider is resting on has a mat of green algae just under the surface and there are many grains of pollen on the water's surface.

Here is a late contribution to #WorldWetlandsDay. This is #Dolomedes Triton, the Six-spotted Fishing #Spider (yes they can take small fish). This was taken at my favorite local #wetland the Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area near #Valdosta #Georgia.

#Inverts
#Arachnid
#MacroPhotography

Dolomedes horishanus escaping a horrible predator (me with a camera) by submerging underwater. Check out the hydrophobic hairs enveloping the spider in a layer of air!

Dolomedes raptor, a huge charismatic species in Taiwan that attracts prey with white bands on its legs. I couldn't get a pic of that detail before this one teleported away

Dolomedes sulfureus, a more terrestrial species vs the other two

A closeup of Dolomedes sulfureus

a collection of Taiwanese #Dolomedes species with varying associations to water: D. horishanus, raptor, and sulfureus. this genus has fascinating biology and amazing diversity globally! really enjoyed reading about them in this recent fantastic review: www.frontiersin.org/journals/ara...

Here is the link to watch it ➡️➡️ : youtu.be/ZHic52BqzZo

I would like to thank again I-Min Tso for his intervention and Thibaut de Lafforest (Oathr) for composing the original musics used in the video !

#macrophotography #araignée #expedition #dolomedes #NaturePhotography