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About 2,500 species of native spider live in New Zealand, with many never having been described. We have trapdoor spiders, which are big solid spiders with large fangs.
The most common spider in low vegetation is the nurseryweb spider , which is 19 mm long. Its web is like a silken sheet wrapping up a small clump of vegetation. Inside this web, are the eggs and young spiderlings, safe from predators. The spiders only leave the web when large enough to look after themselves. The velvety light-brown coloured adult female may sometimes be seen on the outside of the web.
A close relative of the nursery web spider, is the water spider which is 23 mm long. This spider is not only able to go under the water, it can also walk across the water's surface with the aid of special hairs on its feet. It is a spider that is commonly found amongst the stones, beside rivers.
New Zealand's most poisonous native spider is the katipo, which is very shy and mostly found underneath driftwood, above the high-tide zone on sandy beaches. The spider is jet black with a red strip down the centre of the abdomen. If it stings you, it is very very painful for several days, but you can get anti-venom from the doctor, so it doesn't often kill people any more. Death is very rare these days.