Around the dock at the cottage at Bonaparte Lake, we have these spiders. We call them water spiders although they only have six legs, not eight. They can grow quite large. Can you please identify it? – Doug McLean, Crocker Hill This large spider belongs to a group referred to as fishing spiders and is probably the dark fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus). These spiders are quite spectacular. I have seen some that are easily seven centimetres across the legs. They are quite common around lakes and streams in New Brunswick and perfectly harmless – that is, unless you are a small fish or a tadpole, which are common prey. Females are often seen carrying an egg sac attached to the abdomen. All spiders have eight legs, and rest assured that this one did or does have eight legs. From your photo I can’t tell whether this individual is holding legs three and four together, or whether it may actually have lost two legs to a predator. – Don McAlpine