In search of rare UK spiders 

Very fun to watch. So much attention goes to the exotics that people lose track of what's right on their doorstep.

With all the larger, more exotic and colourful Theraphosidae, it's easy to take the local Trues for granted. That Lycosidae by the river was drop dead gorgeous ! Also enjoyed the money spider part. The MM looks so odd with the "balloon" on its head. Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)

Well spoken and a good watch

Wonderful video - congrats. to all. Fond memories of hunting and finding 'target' species like Atypus affinis all those years ago. So great when you find them!

If you look along any canal it's full of all different types of spiders ,some of which I could not identify

Excellent video Guy, our local species never get enough love. They might not be huge or colourful but they're still amazing! Need to stick my head in the sweep net, interesting technique haha

Awesome video. I couldn't help but laugh every time Ray went head first into that net

great video - i was actually looking for Danni, i'm so happy to see she is well

A few years ago I saw a strange spider on my fence and I’ve never seen anything like it before it was the size of a big house spider but it was yellow and black or maybe a dark brown but I’ve never seen one since and I’m kinda glad

I love searching for our native spiders! 🤩 Thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge😎🕷

Excellent finds, very big well done for such a grand update, so happy to see our little friends thriving.

This has all the hallmarks of a Reeves and Mortimer Sketch.

Love to see my uk family talking about spiders and bugs grate to see thx mate I also have my own beautiful Harpactira pulchripes

I live in Poole, Dorset, right opposite sandbanks and Brownsea Island . I’d love to go over there and be allowed to look for what species are on that brownsea

Excellent video! So glad I subscribed!

Many years ago, I was at my ex's house and we were planning a BBQ gathering and party for friends and family, our daughters 5th birthday. I took the day off work and my friend came over in the morning, and we set about preparing the area. One of the main things the huge paddling pool I'd bought for the occasion, so I set that up and started filling. After getting pretty much everything done, we still had 3 hours to spare, so we decided to tidy her old coal house / shed that was next to the house. I'd been wanting to do that foreveer, it was like a junk storage inside and it was good space that could have been used. I started emptying it, chainganging with my friend to sort through the stuff, mostly junk. The last thing to pick up, was this decayed old sports bag that had been sitting at the bottom of the pile for years, maybe a decade. I picked it up and I swear to Jesus, there was the BIGGEST, BLACKEST, CHUNKIEST spider I have ever seen sitting right there under it, in a funnel type web. I've seen big house spiders. I've seen cardinal spiders, I saw one just the other month that was 12cm legspan (measured it before I set it free). But I shit you not, this thing was neither. It was almost jet black, and it's body was larger than that of a cardinal, and it had shorter legs in comparison but it's legs were thicker. I'd say the abdomen was at least twice as large as a cardinal, and it's thorax (?) or whatever was about the same. My friend hadn't seen anything like it here in the UK before, neither had I. Anyways, I took some bad pictures of it with my old phone, and caught him/her in a tub and moved it to the old firebin at the back of the garden. It was really fast and active, which kinda scared my friend (and me, to be honest) and went aggressive as soon as I captured it. I placed it into the old firebin (lots of webs in there, ideal for a spider I guess, it had a cover so relatively dry) and finished cleaning the shed. I noticed a LOT of dead spider corpses around where the bag had been. That thing was eating every other spider that foolishly explored that bag. To this day I've not seen another spider like it here, definitely not native, but I wonder what it was and how it got there. I went back to the firebin a few days later but there was no sign of the spider. Probably went wandering off in search of rabbits and small felines to feast on...

This is awesome. I’d love to be out there with you guys doing this.

Excellent documentary, thanks for sharing

Thanks so much for this video. I really enjoyed it. Great research. 👍

Thank you so much!

Very good stuff, interesting video, thanks for sharing it.

Hello great video information

Wow .. such a great video. I have to agree the mkre reach on the spiders and inverts the better.the UK have some amazing wildlife . Amazing video. I am very impressed with it .. 😀😀

O found I tiny bright green spider yesterday, I watched it as it crossed my path on Its thread, I watched and watched...but I have never ever seen a bright green like this and on a spider. Any ideas anyone? I feeling privileged at watching this little friend. ???? By the way, its abdomen wad a bright lime green, the rest of it was a clean grasshopper green. The colours just smashed my eyes as they were so bright. Any ideas anyone????

Would it be possible for you to state the make and model of the battery-powered vacuum sampler used by Danielle, please? Apart from being too heavy for me, a petrol-driven vac is just too noisy for the areas in which I operate.

Fascinating! I've just gotten a jumping spider to help me get over my fear, as I really find spiders so interesting, and I know the fear is illogical. Is it too late for a 32 year old woman to look into arachnology?

We have this nosferatu thing here in Germany, do you know much about the species? I cant find anything in English, only German.. I have two of these spiders here now, one in my basement, one my shed and they are big. Someone told me they are poisonous and bite, im starting to miss the Uk.. .

I love spiders ♥️ It's a shame the spiders are put in alcohol because it kills them but that's the only thing I don't like the research is good but I think there should be another way rather than putting them in alcohol The spiders are even more rare

Why do you put the samples in alcohol? Like why alcohol specifically?

Great video! Can you tell me about that battery operated vacuum sampler that Danni is using? Is it a modified leaf blower, and if so, how was it modified? Thanks so much!

i hope u find stromatopelma fumigatum

The biggest spider I have seen in the UK was a dark greyish black spider with a massive abdomen and small head area but it was bigger than any house spider I have ever seen, it was hiding in a gap between my fence and to this day I have no idea what it was if anyone has any ideas please can you help me

Amazing 👏

Great

I worry deeply about the fad for keeping large spiders. God only knows how many specimens are taken from the wild. I don't know whether any are bred, but I am guessing (perhaps unfairly) that most people don't give a flying f**k where their impressive tarantula came from, or what the impact of their "hobby" has on the habitats where these creatures come from. Perhaps someone would like to prove me wrong in the comments about how much they care. That said, the team here showed the utmost respect for the special habitat in which they were collecting, with the appropriate permissions. If only the legions of cretins on RU-vid showing off "their" pink-kneed tarantula had a fraction of the concern about the natural world, that will soon be no more due to the depredations of the "pet" trade...

Do you kill them ?

My house is full of false widow spiders we won't touch them tho cos we all scared 😂😂

The title says rare spiders but you find and kill them?

hi bro ....how rare are ghnaposa nigerima ?? I believe I found 1 in my our house on the east coast!!

Awesome stuff. How did you go about being an arachnologist?