Fishing Spider

I have always loved spiders. Finding large ones is always fun, especially if you live in the city and don't get a chance to see them often.

These large spiders are fishing spiders. I don't know the exact species, but I have seen them often in creeks and ponds. These shots are of a couple spiders in the Big Darby Creek in central Ohio. I have seen them eating small minnows and tadpoles, so they are formidable predators.

My daughter was pretty nervous when she saw me coaxing one of the large spiders onto my leg to get a few of the shots on this page. While they do have large fangs, I don't think they would bite a human under any normal circumstance (yes, I consider one walking on my leg to be normal).