08/29/2026
There’s nothing like walking into the murky depths of the swamps during a warm night of summer. One member of the swamps that I always run into are fishing spiders, specifically, Six-Spotted Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes triton). The specific one that I caught in the video is of an adult female. I’ve always had a strong admiration for these spiders due to their unique way of hunting for food. Residing on the surface of the water with their legs outstretched, these spiders can pick up the faintest vibrations of insects and other small organisms on the surface and under the water as well. Once they’ve honed in on where the vibration is stemming from, they’ll push their way into that direction, immediately sinking their venomous fangs into their prey. One really cool adaptation that these spiders have is their ability to breathe underwater. Fishing spiders, as well as many spiders in general, have hydrophobic hairs that repel water off from their bodies. When a fishing spiders wants to catch something underwater, their specialized hairs will repel water off from their body, which in return, creates an air bubble that encapsulates around their abdomen. Since spiders breathe through their abdomen, this air bubble allows them to essentially breathe underwater while they hunt for their prey! *Hand drawn stickers added to my store’s website for purchase via link in bio! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Link in bio also :)*
