One of Britain's most endangered spiders, the Great Fox, has been sighted for the first time in more than a quarter of a century.
Conservationists report the sighting of 22 Great Fox spiders in total, including 10 mature males and one mature female, which measures just over two inches (55mm) in diameter including its hairy, spiny legs.
The specimens were found on a Ministry of Defence (MoD) training area in Surrey by Mike Waite, spider enthusiast at Surrey Wildlife Trust.
The Great Fox (alopecosa fabrilis) is listed as ‘critically endangered’ and was feared extinct in the UK as it hadn't been spotted since 1993.
The species has excellent eyesight, camouflage and speed and is an opportunistic predator that hunts at night, the Trust says.
Prey, including insects such as beetles, ants and smaller spiders, are immobilised after the Great Fox injects them with venom, which liquefies their internal organs.
The spider is then ready to feast on its catch using its strong, fang-bearing front appendages called chelicerae.
Jo Foat at Surrey Wildlife Trust told: 'Males have a slightly smaller body and longer legs but are the same size.
Great Fox spiders have excellent eyesight with wrap-around vision thanks to eight incredible black eyes on their head, or cephalothorax.
Two large eyes glint from the top of the head, another two eyes stare out the front and four smaller eyes form a row just above the spider’s mouth.
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Music: Guitar House - Josh PanSource: Daily Mail, The Sun, Surrey Wildlife Trust
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