Is this a fishing spider?
Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 7:24 PM
We had a pond in our front yard and have swamp land surrounding us. But this guy lives on and under our deck. About 1 foot from our back door. He can see me coming and ducks under the deck planks when i get to close. I’d estimate him to be 3 or 4 inches from toe to toe. He is very scary! At first a wolf spider was all that came to mind.
Sam
Central New Jersey
Hi Sam,
This is a magnificent specimen of the Northern Dolomedes, Dolomedes tenebrosus, one of the Fishing Spiders. They are generally found near water and the species is capable of submerging itself both to escape predators and to capture prey which may include small fish.