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The Great Fox Spider was thought to be becoming extinct in the UK but has recently been rediscovered.

The Great Fox spider is a somewhat large grey spider that was last seen in the UK all the way back in 1993, and because no one had seen one for so long, scientists believed the spider to have gone extinct in the UK.

The Spider was already extremely rare to the UK, which could explain why one wasn't spotted for so long.

Mike Waite, from Surrey Wildlife Trust, found the little creature on a Ministry of Defence training site in Surrey. He had spent a long two years searching for the spider!

When he had come across the spider, it wasn't just the one. Mr Waite had actually managed to find several male Great Fox spiders, and one large female - measuring at 55mm, which is just over 2 inches. Creepy!

Mike Waite, Spider Enthusiast for Surrey Wildlife Trust, tells Newsround that "the spider is so rare in the UK that it is called 'critically endangered'. This means there are thought to be so few Great Fox Spiders in the country, it was feared it could be heading towards extinction and disappearing altogether.

"The spider has only ever been seen on three sites, two in Dorset and one in Surrey," Mike explained.

The new sightings of these spiders mean that researchers now have hope the spiders will be sticking around for longer and won't be going extinct as first thought.

The Great Fox Spider is a member of the Wolf-Spider Lycosidae family of spiders. They are given this name for their wolf like habit of chasing down their prey across rocks on the ground.

They are grey and have hairy legs, usually around two inches in size. Not only do they have eight legs, they also have eight black eyes on their heads which gives the spiders incredible vision for night-time hunting.

A Great Fox Spider's diet is usually made up from beetles, ants and even smaller spiders! When chasing down its prey, the Great Fox Spider uses its venom to immobilise its prey. This means its bite is powerful enough to stop an insect, like a beetle, from moving or running away.

If you are scared of spiders don't worry too much! Mike reassures us that "the spider isn't harmful to humans - just insects!".

Have you spotted any spiders in your garden? Let us know in the comments!