Australian fishing spider

Home from being away a fair while and delighted to find a fishing spider has taken up residence by the freshwater pond/habitat that I built.

This species Dolomedes facetus (known commonly as the clever or crafty fishing spider), hunts beside the water, on the water surface and can also dive for small fish and insects. What an awesome creature.

Main prey are fish, tadpoles and aquatic insects.

Fascinating to watch and it's already proving a far greater distraction than unpacking the suitcases.

Body length around 10 mm.