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Nosferatu spider spreads across Germany
The Nosferatu spider (Zoropsis spinimana), originally from the Mediterranean, has rapidly spread across Germany. According to data from the Nature Conservation Union (Nabu), approximately 47,000 sightings were reported as of September 2024.
A study published in ‘Frontiers in Arachnid Science’ indicates the species had reached nearly all German federal states by 2022, with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern being one of the few areas where it remained rare. The spider's expansion is attributed to climate change.
While the spider can bite if provoked or attacked, experts such as Dr. Arnold Staniczek from the Natural History Museum in Stuttgart state that the animals are largely harmless and that fears regarding them are often exaggerated. Sightings typically increase in autumn as the spiders seek shelter in homes, basements, or attics to overwinter.
Entities
Arnold Staniczek · Frontiers in Arachnid Science · Germany · NABU · Zoropsis spinimana
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The spider is considered a winner of climate change due to its expansion from Mediterranean regions. www.ka-news.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] A study shows the spider had spread to almost all German federal states by 2022. www.bbv-net.de · www.hellwegeranzeiger.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Nosferatu spider is now native in almost all of Germany. www.bbv-net.de · www.hellwegeranzeiger.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Approximately 47,000 sightings of the spider were reported via Nabu as of September 3, 2024. www.bbv-net.de · www.hellwegeranzeiger.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] The spider was first sighted in Germany in 2005. www.bbv-net.de · www.hellwegeranzeiger.de
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The spider is largely harmless to humans and only bites if it feels attacked or provoked. www.ka-news.de