The most monstrous spider in Delaware

The dark fishing spider, or Dolomedes Tenebrosus, is the largest native spider found in the state of Delaware. Females can have bodies that are an inch long, not including their legs. With their legs, dark fishing spiders can be over three inches across. The spiders are instantly recognizable by the large “w” markings on their abdomens.

Their preferred habitat is near the edges of ponds and streams. Other, less massive varieties of fishing spider are able to walk across the surface of slow-moving bodies of water as they hunt for insects and small fish (hence the name “fishing spider”), however this behavior is less common in Dolomedes Tenebrosus. They are also nocturnal, hunting their prey rather than trapping it with webs. The females are still capable of producing silk, but they mostly use it to hang their egg sacks on leaves and branches. Femail dark fishing spiders are also known to protect their egg sacks, and then their young immediately after they hatch.

While it has been reported that dark fishing spiders can deliver a painful bite to humans — large individuals like the one in this video certainly look capable of inflicting a serious wound — such instances are very rare. The species usually prefers to escape if confronted with a human and is only likely to bite if the person stresses it out by deliberately grabbing it.