European Cave Spider

The European cave spider, Meta menardi, also called the orbweaving cave spider or cave orbweaver, is a long-jawed orb weaving spider of the family Tetragnathidae. It is shiny satin black to reddish brown, with a body length near 15 millimeters and a leg span close to 5 centimeters, making it one of the largest spiders in the United Kingdom, though still smaller than the giant house spider, the cardinal spider, and the raft spider. Adults avoid light and live in dark places such as caves, tunnels, and mines, often near bat colonies, emerging around dusk to snare prey on silk lasso lines, while young spiders are drawn toward light, which likely helps the species spread to new sites. Its range runs from Scandinavia to North Africa and across Europe to Korea, with introduced populations in Japan and Madagascar.