The Spider That Can Follow You Anywhere (and does)

This is about the raft spider (Dolomedes fimbriatus), gerande oeverspin in Dutch.

These spiders are quite big, as spiders in The Netherlands go, at about 25mm (1"), with a leg span of about 60mm (2.4").

Despite their size and weight, they can walk on water very well, in fact, they can run very fast on water. Quite a sight to see when one passes in front of you when you are swimming. They also seem to be curious, as they sometimes run straight at you, and then stop and observe, like this one did:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/125s}

They can also dive, so there really is no escaping these. Think of that the next time you decide to have a swim in open water.

^{Now go read and resteem The Church of Piglet's Guidelines for the Little Steemian, and receive a free blessing that will keep the spiders away. No guarantees, no refunds.}