One of UK’s largest and rarest spider species making a comeback, says RSPB

The fen raft spider, which depends on wetlands, had struggled because of large-scale destruction of its habitats. Photograph: Sandra Standbridge/Getty Images

One of the rarest and largest species of spider in the UK is said to be making a comeback on nature reserves.

After facing near extinction over the last century, the UK’s population of fen raft spiders is steadily increasing, and numbers are at a record high this year, according to the conservation charity RSPB.