Mommy Spider by timerskine

Mommy Spider

At Beaver Lake in Pocahontas State Park there is a floating pier in the lake. It affords a good view of the lake and is surrounded by aquatic vegetation. The vegetation includes water lilies. It also affords a good view of the local fauna, including this Six-Spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton) perched on a lily pad. She was easy to spot since she's about 2.5" / 6cm across.

This is an interesting species. It hunts on and under the water, and can stay submerged for an hour while looking for prey. It can feed on tadpoles and frogs. They have the ability to "walk" on water, like a water strider, and have been known to 'sail' by stepping out onto the water's surface and throwing a silk strand into the air to act as a sail to take it away.

The big round thing under her is her egg sac. She is carrying it in her jaws, which she will do until the eggs are about to hatch. She will then spin a "nursery web" into which the offspring will hatch.

Like I said, an interesting species.
nice detailed shot.
September 6th, 2020  
Nice capture; fascinating spider!
September 7th, 2020  
Fascinating, and a big girl, one I would avoid.
September 7th, 2020  
Whoa! Thanks for the information. Really interesting!
October 10th, 2020  
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