With unparalleled agility, slender nursery web spider gracefully maneuvers across water surfaces, trapping air in fine hairs on its abdomen and legs to keep afloat. At the juvenile stage, their diet primarily consists of small aquatic insects, while adults may tackle larger prey. These skilled hunters are often observed mimicking the gentle ripples of rain to lure their prey within striking distance.

Among the skilled aquatic hunters, straight-banded nursery web spider exhibits remarkable adaptation to its environment with a unique hunting strategy that involves skimming across water surfaces to ambush prey. Equally fascinating is its reproductive behavior; females are known for their maternal care, carrying their spherical egg sacs with their chelicerae or under their bodies until hatching. The comparison between its hunting prowess and parental investment offers a glimpse into the complex life of this species.

American Nursery Web Spider (Pisaurina mira) is a type of spider with females that will eat males after reproduction. As a defense mechanism, males will tie the female's legs together before copulation to later escape. When hunting for prey, these spiders will lie in wait and "pounce" with their pincers to catch insects such as gnats and mosquitos. Commonly mistaken for the wolf spider (Lycosidae).

The Pisaurina dubia is identified with its cream coloring with two dark-brown lines leading down its body. Their eyes are all about the same size, which is common for nursery web spiders. Much like wolf spiders (Lycosidae), they are roaming hunters that seek their prey out. They can jump long distances, but have issues climbing glass.

Distinctive for its semi-aquatic lifestyle, common white-flanked water spider exhibits a remarkable adaptation to life both in and out of water. While the adults are consummate hunters on land, skillfully capturing prey with their agile movements, the juveniles take refuge in the water, displaying surprising dexterity in this unusual habitat. Their diet is predominantly carnivorous, ranging from aquatic insects to small land invertebrates.

The nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis) is not something you would expect in a nursery rhyme. Instead, it earns its name from the web it spins to hold its young. It is identified by having long legs and a slender abdomen, with one pair of the legs being longer than the rest. It is one of the few spiders that offers a nuptial gift, which females bite into when beginning to mate.

The white-banded fishing spider (Dolomedes vittatus) can be identified with a combination of white bands and dark spots located on its body. You can often see it walking on water with a safety line back to dry line when huntings its prey. They are part of a group known as nursery web spiders, meaning they have a web sac inside of a tent for their young.

The dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus) can hold air on the small hairs of its body so that it can breathe underwater and catch tadpoles. If approached near the water, they tend to dart under the surface and run away. Much like the wolf spider (Lycosidae), it does not use webbing to hunt. Instead, it uses webbing as a nursery for their young.