The raft spider is the largest spider in Central and Northern Europe. The female’s body is up to 22 mm long with a leg span of about 70 mm. The male is considerably smaller but otherwise very similar in appearance. The brown spider has long, sturdy legs and an oval-shaped abdomen. There are striking pale stripes along its sides, which are due to rows of white hairs.
The raft spider is semi-aquatic and lives around bogs and in wet grassland. Often it can be found at the edge of pools with its front legs resting on the surface of the water. This allows it to sense the presence of tadpoles, insects and even small fish, which it hauls out of the water. When alarmed the raft spider is able to crawl down water plants, and can remain below water for around an hour.