The Nosferatu Spider: Myth vs Reality

2024-05-04 13:56:07

This spider has a vampire name.ch media, dr (montage watson)

The Nosferatu spider is spreading in Switzerland. She can bite and has an impressive size. But is it dangerous? An arachnologist tells us what this little beast is really capable of.

Bruno Knellwolf / ch media

Eight legs, eight eyes. When a big spider like Nosferatu runs across a bathroom wall in the morning, it’s guaranteed to scare you. Nosferatu like the vampire from Friedrich Murnau’s film, released in 1922. With a name like that, it’s no surprise that horrible things are said about this arachnid. It is said in particular that this Zoropsis spinimana bites humans and dogs, is venomous, dangerous and much more.

Originally from the Mediterranean region, it has spread in Switzerland since the 1990s. It is mainly observed in urban habitats. Recently, reports have increased in Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Zurich and Lucerne.

Here is where it is found in Switzerland:

Spoiler alert: everywhere.

But for arachnologist Karin Urfer, this is not enough to demonstrate large-scale propagation. The curator of the Natural History Museum of St. Gallen explains:

“People perceive this species more and report it more often because of the increase in reporting on the subject”

Karin Urfer

Like a mosquito bite

Nosferatu can bite, however. It is one of the rare spiders whose fangs can penetrate human skin. Rest assured: Nosferatu’s bite would hurt no more than a mosquito bite, according to experts. But this spider rarely attacks humans anyway.

It is a nocturnal animal that sleeps on its web during the day. It can therefore only be observed at night. The spider then hunts mosquitoes, flies and other insects. Nosferatu are also cannibalistic and have already been observed devouring their fellow creatures. A French university is currently conducting a study where it is analyzing the intestinal contents of this animal. This will help you learn more about your diet.

All is well in Europe

The Nosferatu is no more toxic than any other spider. So there is no need to worry. Its venom is primarily intended for insects and it is far too low in dosage to be dangerous for humans, reassures Karin Urfer.

“A bite does not necessarily contain venom”

Karin Urfer

In the world, there are only a few species to really fear in this aspect: the Phoneutria in South America, theA strong man in Australia, the black widow — present throughout the world — as well as the brown violinist spider, in the Mediterranean region. But since 1956, no deaths from spider bites have been reported in Europe.

Allogeneic minority

Let’s return to Nosferatu, which is one of the largest spiders present in Switzerland, just like the Black Spider Spider, the Marsh Dolomedus and the Nurse Chiracanth. They constitute a minority among the 1000 species of native spiders.

Most of the country’s spiders are less than four millimeters long. Similar in size to Nosferatu, the house moth is much more common. The two look similar and are often confused.

She too is the subject of fake news. It is described as the terror of housewives, because it regularly appears in the bathroom in the morning, particularly in the sink. Legend has it that the spider arrives in the house from the sewers via the pipes. This is actually not true. The house moth does not have the characteristic hairs of arachnids which would allow it to climb on smooth surfaces. If she falls into the sink while looking for water, it will be over for her.

They are not insects

Spiders have been around for a long time, their oldest fossils dating from 410 million years ago. It’s older than the dinosaurs. According to Karin Urfer, there are still spiders today that closely resemble primitive species. They are often wrongly classified as insects, although they are part of arachnids, a class of arthropods.

There are approximately 52,000 species of spiders in the world, distributed all over the planet, even in Greenland and the sub-Antarctic islands. 5500 live in Europe, the 1000 species present in Switzerland are very diverse, because they encounter diverse habitats. Spiders are found both in warm regions of Switzerland and in glacial environments, where they feed on glacier fleas.

Spiders perceive their environment primarily thanks to the numerous sensory hairs present on their bodies. These detect the slightest vibrations in the air, which allows them to sense the slightest movements of prey or our breathing. Some see colors and polarized light, while blind specimens live in caves.

Courtship ritual

In fact, we know far too little about spiders, admits the curator, who is part of a small circle of researchers in Switzerland eager to fill the gaps in science on the subject. Karin Urfer is particularly passionate about jumping spiders.

“They are able to dance and perform a courtship display”

Also known as peacock spiders, they try to seduce by dancing, which has already created a buzz on Youtube. The admirable Pisaure tries to charm her partner by offering her a gift. To do this, she captures a fly which she wraps in silk and brings it to the female as a wedding gift. But after mating, the male must quickly flee, otherwise he risks being devoured by the female.

The male of the admirable pisaur has not completely fallen on his head either. Some carry a stone instead of a fly to deceive the female. While sleeping, spiders are also similar to humans: they move their eye muscles like we do when we dream, and REM sleep patterns can be observed in them.

Fascinating animals

Cobwebs are another subject of fascination. The nosferatu does not take this trouble and does not build any. The Araneoidea family, on the other hand, creates classic webs, others make relief webs or hood webs. Some species can produce eight types of silk, which have different properties in terms of tensile strength and extensibility.

Silk is used for the construction of cocoons and “ballooning”, they produce a thread which allows them to be carried by the wind. This is also used for the construction of houses, tubes and canvases. Spider silk is also used medicinally:

“The first successes in the reconstruction of nervous tissues are already taking shape”

Karin Urfer

However, spiders continue to freak us out. The expert thinks that we do everything to maintain this phobia which is transmitted from generation to generation. According to her, this is explained by a sociocultural background. Urfer discusses Gotthelf’s book The black spider and the link often made in the Middle Ages with the devil. According to her, these fascinating animals deserve that we dare to be interested in them.

(Translated from German by Valentine Zenker)

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