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Nosferatu spider is spreading in Germany: is the spider poisonous?

2022-09-15T12:40:01.871Z


The immigrant Nosferatu spider is currently causing a lot of excitement in Germany - especially among spider phobics. How dangerous is the eight-legged friend?


The immigrant Nosferatu spider is currently causing a lot of excitement in Germany - especially among spider phobics.

How dangerous is the eight-legged friend?

There is a lot of excitement on social media right now: more and more people want to have spotted a Nosferatu spider

(Zoropsis spinimana)

.

This specimen is a so-called curl-hunting spider with a body length of one to two centimeters and a leg span of around five centimetres.

The domestic house angle spider can definitely get bigger.

What is particularly striking is her hairy body and her distinctive markings on her back, which are supposed to be reminiscent of a vampire - hence the creepy name.

But are the fears justified?

How dangerous is the Nosferatu spider?

+

The Nosferatu spider can be recognized by its eye-catching markings on its back, which are said to resemble a vampire.

© Robert Pfeifle/dpa

More and more Nosferatu sightings in Germany

The Nosferatu spider is originally from the Mediterranean region.

It was first detected in Germany in 2005 in Freiburg.

In the meantime, however, it has also been sighted in Bremen, Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony (such as Hanover, Göttingen and East Frisia).

"The first Nosferatu spiders found in Germany are probably holiday souvenirs that then multiplied in the shelter of the houses.

Climate change and the associated mild winters are now promoting the spread of the animals," explains Frederik Eggers from NABU Lower Saxony.

Report Nosferatu sightings

Anyone who discovers a Nosferatu spider can report their sighting online.

This should help to learn more about the occurrence and distribution of the species.

Nosferatu spiders are poisonous - but harmless

However, concerns about Nosferatu spiders are largely unfounded.

It is true that Nosferatu spiders are actually poisonous (like almost all other spiders in Germany) - after all, they stun their prey with it.

However, for humans, the venom of 

Zoropsis is spinimana

 harmless.

According to NABU, a bite should resemble that of a wasp or bee sting.

If there is no allergy to it, people have nothing to worry about.

In addition, Nosferatu spiders only bite when threatened.

Anyone who has to deal with such a specimen in the apartment should therefore not catch the spider with their hands.

"It's best to put a glass over the spider, push a piece of thin cardboard between the ground and the glass and put it outside," recommends NABU expert Eggers.

Maybe a home remedy will help keep the spiders away.

Where do Nosferatu spiders hang out?

And where can you find Nosferatu spiders?

In our latitudes, the hairy eight-legged creature is mainly found in apartments and on buildings, mainly on walls, balconies, terraces and garden houses.

By the way, a special feature of the Nosferatu spider is that it does not spin webs.

She only weaves her eggs into a cocoon and a braid of crimped threads.

They prefer to catch their prey with lightning attacks.

And: She is a real climbing artist who can hold on to vertical panes of glass with the help of special adhesive hair.

Did you know?

Spiders can be very useful in the home.

List of rubrics: © Robert Pfeifle/dpa

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2022-09-15

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