Poisonous arthropod
Nosferatu spider is spreading in Germany – is its bite dangerous?
The Nosferatu spider can penetrate human skin when bitten.
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Sightings of the Nosferatu spider are currently increasing – especially in south-west Germany. The animal can penetrate human skin with its bite.
The Nosferatu spider actually comes from the Mediterranean and North Africa. However, evidence of “Zoropsis spinimana”, as this species of spider is called in technical jargon, is currently increasing in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. With a diameter of up to six centimetres, it is one of the larger spiders that crawl around in Germany.
For all spider phobics, the sight of this massive eight-legged creature is truly horrible. But warnings that the spider would attack humans are not true. “Zoropsis spinimana” is poisonous and one of the few spider species that can penetrate human skin with its poisonous claws, but its bite is not dangerous for humans, according to the Bremen Nature Conservation Union (Nabu). The Nosferatu spider only bites when it feels threatened and has no way of escaping.
According to the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe, anyone who is bitten by the eight-legged friend has to expect a little less pain than a wasp sting. There may be redness and swelling around the bite site for a few days. Therefore, experts advise against catching the spider with your bare hands. A glass and paper should be used to get the animal out of the home.
Nosferatu spider first discovered in Germany in 2005
According to Nabu, the curl-hunting spider, as the species is also called, was first discovered in 2005 in south-west Germany. The spider was probably brought into the Federal Republic by goods transport from southern Europe or by travelers. “The species has been able to establish itself along the Rhine and its tributaries due to the climatic conditions that prevail here and are favorable for them,” says the Natural History Museum in Karlsruhe.
Recently, however, it has been discovered more frequently in gardens, sheds, apartments or on balconies in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. The Nosferatu spider was first discovered in Leipzig and Saxony in 2021, as reported by the “Leipziger Volkszeitung”. A year earlier, a copy was spotted in Bremen – it was probably in the holiday luggage. According to Nabu Bremen, the animals could not reproduce outside of houses in northern Germany.
In contrast to other spiders, the Nosferatu spider does not build webs, but only hunts with so-called curling threads. Her prey pursues her and overwhelms her with a leap. It can definitely kill and eat house spiders. It is mostly active at night. The spider species lives for about a year, females can live up to one and a half years.
Sources:Leipziger Volkszeitung,Natural History Museum Karlsruhe,Nabu Bremen