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Dolomedes plantarius, the great raft spider or fen raft spider, has made a notable conservation comeback in parts of Britain. But the evidence does not show that UK releases triggered a breakneck spread across Europe. The documented release took place in October 2010—not ten years ago—and was a wetland conservation project, not an attempt to introduce spiders into towns or homes.
What spiders were released in Britain?
They were great raft spiders (Dolomedes plantarius), a large, semiaquatic European species also known as fen raft spiders. In October 2010, a joint Natural England and Suffolk Wildlife Trust project released 1,600 captive-reared spiderlings into prepared dykes at Castle Marshes. The project had bred and reared about 3,000 spiderlings using adults from the Redgrave and Lopham Fen and Pevensey Levels populations, according to the species account.
The aim was to establish an additional population and strengthen an existing one. The account describes spiderlings being reared separately in test tubes and fed fruit flies. It identifies Natural England and Suffolk Wildlife Trust—not Chester Zoo—as the organisations involved in the Castle Marshes release.
Are they spreading across Europe at “breakneck speed”?
That description goes beyond the available evidence. The species is recorded across many European countries and Russia, including France, Germany, the Baltic region, Scandinavia and the UK. That broad range does not, by itself, show that the spiders are rapidly expanding or that British releases caused a continent-wide spread.
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A 2025 Indian Defence Review article reports a 2014 rediscovery in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and says a 2016 study found the spider in 22 French departments. Those are details reported second-hand by that article; they should not be confused with evidence of a recent expansion caused by the UK project. The species account instead describes western and central populations as having declined through habitat degradation, while Scandinavian and Baltic populations are relatively well established.
How many are there now?
Published figures refer to different places, dates and counting units, so they should not be combined into one precise British total.
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| Report | Reported estimate | What it counts |
|---|---|---|
| The Independent, 2024 | Up to 3,750 | Female fen raft spiders across 12 sites in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads |
| Indian Defence Review, 2025 | More than 10,000 | Breeding females in Britain, attributed by the article to the RSPB |
The Independent also reported that the spiders were approaching their best year on RSPB reserves. The two estimates are not directly comparable: one is for named sites in the Broads and the other is presented as a Britain-wide figure. Neither establishes a single exact current national count.
How big are great raft spiders, and how do they hunt?
Adult females can reach a leg span of about 8 cm (roughly three inches), according to The Independent in 2024. The species account gives a span of about 70 mm and a body length slightly over 20 mm. Those measurements are broadly consistent, with the larger figure describing the maximum reported female span.
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They hunt at the water’s edge rather than catching prey in a web. Sensory hairs on their legs pick up vibrations, helping them move across the water surface and detect prey. Their food includes aquatic invertebrates, dragonfly larvae, smaller spiders, tadpoles and small fish.
Where do fen raft spiders live?
Great raft spiders are wetland specialists, found mainly in fens, grazing marshes, ditches and other relatively unpolluted, neutral-to-alkaline standing or slow-moving waters. The Independent describes them as restricted to wetlands, marshes, ponds and slow-moving rivers. Their presence is tied to suitable habitat, not to homes or urban environments.
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Females carry an egg sac for about three weeks, periodically dipping it in water. They then guard their young in a nursery web above the waterline. That life cycle, along with their water-surface hunting, is adapted to wetland margins.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can a great raft spider hurt people?
The Independent reported that the species is not venomous, and the species account describes it as a wetland spider rather than a household invader. The conservation concern is the condition and loss of its habitat, not a risk of it spreading through homes.
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Why does the species need conservation?
The great raft spider is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN assessment cited by the species account. The account identifies wetland loss and degradation, water abstraction, declining water quality and inappropriate ditch management as threats. In England and Wales, it is listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; related Scottish legislation also provides protection.
RSPB Mid Yare nature reserves site manager Tim Strudwick described the species as “one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates” and credited reserves and their teams with a role in its recovery. RSPB ecologist Jane Sears said the organisation’s part in reintroduction also means continuing to restore, manage and protect wetland habitat.
Where might someone see one?
Look for them in suitable wetlands, especially grazing ditches and other quiet water margins in the species’ known range. RSPB reserves in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads are among the places associated with recent reports of the species. Sightings are not guaranteed: habitat quality and local population presence matter, and the spider is not an animal to expect in a house or garden far from wetlands.
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