As the sun began to set we decided on one last swim and that's when my boys encountered this dock spider lying in wait at the dock. They are the largest species of spider in Ontario and can reach the size of a plate, this one only the width of my palm. They can race across the water's surface or dive underneath, often preying on small minnows.
From Huckleberry Fred...
ReplyDeleteWhen we first moved to Muskoka in Aug 1959, we walked down to the lake and went swimming off the edge of an old boathouse/marina that belonged to Norm Scholey. The building is still there but has been rebuilt, but in 1959 it was a bit run down and the dock was in need of some TLC. After a short dip, we were sitting on the dock edge and I noticed something out of my peripheral vision, the largest spider I'd ever seen came running along the old wooden boards about 2' away from me. For a moment I was frozen in terror, it was like a horror movie, and both my younger sister, younger brother, and I all jumped into the water and then made a hasty retreat to shore, good thing the water at entry point was only about 3' deep or my younger brother might have drowned.
Over the years I encountered many dock spiders, each had their own story associated and usually the spider ended up with an unpleasant demise. Not my most favourite critter, but worthy of respect and a subtle admiration.