Terrifying video shows giant rat-sized spider which hunts fish and spins webs the size of a pizza in the UK

Video shows a huge rat-sized spider which hunts fish and spins webs the size of a pizza in the UK - with thousands of them now in the country despite previously being threatened with extinction.

Posting the footage to X on April 9, Suffolk Wildlife Trust North East Reserves wrote: “Fen raft spiders starting to appear on the Dyke networks of the Lower Waveney Valley. This one was battling the wind even on this sheltered Dyke line.”

The RSPB say Fen Raft Spiders, one of the rarest spider species in the UK, are on track to have their best year on record at their nature reserves - with population numbers on the Norfolk Broads steadily increasing thanks to conservation efforts.

Adult female Fen Raft Spiders, which are harmless to humans, can grow up to the size of your palm. They have distinctive white or cream stripes on the side of their abdomen and their legs are covered in tiny hairs. Their diet includes other spiders, damselflies, dragonflies, and they will even catch fish and tadpoles.

 The females build an egg sac to carry their babies around for three weeks - dipping it into the water every few hours to prevent the sac from drying out. Their silk nursery webs, which are suspended above water and are guarded by the mother, can span up to the size of a regular pizza (or 25cm across).

The most recent survey estimates that the total number of female spiders is now in the thousands - with potentially 3,750 spiders. While the Fen Raft Spider remains Vulnerable and is listed as a Priority Species, the annual spider surveys will take place in September and the reserves are hoping to have another successful breeding year.