Nosferatu Spider: Is the new giant spider dangerous?
Created: 08/29/2022, 05:04
By: Martina Lippl
The Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana) is actually at home in the Mediterranean region.
The animal is seen more and more frequently in Germany.
Is their bite dangerous to humans?
Frankfurt – Eight legs, hairy and up to six centimeters tall (with legs) – the Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana), also known as the curl-hunting spider, is quite impressive.
The spider species, actually native to the Mediterranean region and North Africa, is spreading in Germany.
In 2005, a Nosferatu spider was officially detected in Freiburg for the first time, according to the Nature Conservation Union (Nabu) NRW.
In the meantime, specimens have been discovered in Bremen, Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Their venom is harmless to humans.
Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana) | Discovered for the first time in Freiburg in 2005. |
|---|---|
size | Two centimeters body length and leg span up to six centimeters |
family | The Nosferatu spider is a member of the curl-hunting spider family. |
genus | Zoropsis (crisp-hunting spiders) |
Order | Araneae (web spiders) |
hometown | originally Mediterranean, North Africa |
Toxic but harmless | Bite painful, like a light wasp sting |
special feature | With special adhesive hairs on its legs, the Nosferatu spider can even hold on to vertical panes of glass |
Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana) is spreading in Germany.
© membio/imago
Nosferatu spider can bite through human skin
According to Nabu, the German nickname Nosferatu spider is particularly effective.
And the spiders probably didn't get that by accident.
Nosferatu is primarily associated with a vampire character from the horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).
And the Zoropsis spinimana, like Dracula, can bite through human skin, at least through thin sections.
Only very few spiders can do that in Germany.
The Nature Conservation Union lists those who are part of it:
cross spider
water spider
the nurse thorn finger
Nosferatu Spider
That's how dangerous the venom of the Nosferatu spider is
Basically, almost all spiders are poisonous and use their poison when hunting - including the Nosferatu spider.
However, she only bites when she feels threatened, irritated and has no way of escaping.
"The venom of Zoropsis spinimana is not dangerous for humans," says the Nabu.
Your bite is described as about as painful as a light wasp sting.
The most dangerous spider species in Germany
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Nosteratu spider (Zoropsis spinimana) poisonous but harmless and with special abilities
The Zoropsis spinimana is actually a web spider, but it does not build webs to catch its prey.
The Nosferatu spider pursues its prey, then rushes forward in one leap, biting and injecting venom.
The eight-legged hunter can certainly kill and eat larger domestic house spiders.
She mainly uses her spinning glands to spin her eggs into a secure cocoon.
One ability is special: With adhesive hairs on its legs, it can also hold on to vertical panes of glass.
The spider is active at dusk and at night and lives in Southern Europe and North Africa, preferably in sparse forests under stones and bark.
In Germany, the Nosferatu spider is mainly found indoors, probably because it likes it warm.
The giant spiders are often discovered in sheds or on balconies.
The first specimens probably traveled from the south to the north on a truck.
Apparently, the Nosferatu spider in Germany is benefiting from climate change.
Anyone who catches one or is unfortunately bitten should report this to the Nature Conservation Union or the Atlas of European Arachnids.
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