23/10/2026
🕷️ A VERY RARE SPIDER DISCOVERY AT SANDWICH BAY! 🕷️
An extraordinary discovery on Royal St George’s Golf Course, where Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory’s Education Officer spotted a Purseweb Spider while leading a group of teens on a nature walk! 🔍🌿
This fascinating find is particularly exciting because it is believed to be the first-ever recorded sighting of this species at Sandwich Bay!
But what makes this spider so special? 🕸️
Often nicknamed Britain’s “mini tarantula”, the Purseweb Spider is one of our most unusual native spiders. It belongs to the same ancient spider group as tarantulas and trapdoor spiders, and is the only British species from this group.
Despite its fearsome-sounding name, it’s an elusive creature that spends most of its life hidden underground in a silk-lined burrow. It creates a camouflaged tube of silk above the soil, disguised with dirt and debris. When an unsuspecting insect walks across it, the spider strikes from below and pulls its prey into the burrow!
🔎 Why is this discovery important?
Purseweb Spiders are nationally scarce and Amber Listed, making sightings particularly noteworthy. Males are more likely to be seen in late summer and autumn when they leave their burrows in search of females.
What a fantastic reminder of the wildlife discoveries waiting to be made right on our doorstep — and of the value of getting young people outdoors, exploring nature and looking closely at the world around them! 🌱
📷 Faye Kavvadias-Large
