A huge, venomous tropical spider with a skull on its back has been found in a second supermarket in Germany by terrified workers, also in a box of bananas from the Dominican Republic.
The German police said that this second spider was found in a supermarket on Gruettweg street in the town of Rees, which is located in the district of Kleve in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, at around 7.35am Thursday morning (3rd February).
The Kleve District Police Department said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “An unusual operation occurred on Thursday morning at around 7.35am when an employee of a supermarket on Gruettweg discovered an exotic spider in a banana box.
“With the help of the fire brigade and police who were called in, the employee secured the animal in a glass jar and thus prevented it from further exploring the store. According to a first assessment, the animal was probably a venomous banana spider.
(Kreispolizeibehorde Kleve/Newsflash)
“The TerraZoo was then informed via the regulatory office, and its employees will collect the spider during the course of the morning.”
A first spider was discovered in a box of bananas in a supermarket in the city of Krefeld, which is also located in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on Monday, 31st January.
The alarm was raised by supermarket employees, who discovered the creepy crawly, again, in a box of bananas shipped to Germany from the Dominican Republic, according to the Fire Brigade.
The staff members reportedly secured the box containing both the spider and the bananas with plastic while waiting for the Fire Brigade and an animal expert to show up.
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Huge Venomous Tropical Spider With Skull On Its Back Found Among Bananas In German Supermarket
The spider was identified as a Heteropoda venatoria, commonly known as a ‘pantropical huntsman spider’, ‘giant crab spider’ or even ‘banana spider’, due to its occasional appearance in marketed bananas.
It is native to the world’s tropical regions, and it is now also present in some subtropical regions as an introduced species. It is not deadly, but its venom can result in a painful bite.
The banana spider typically feeds on insects, with a preference for various species of butterflies and moths. Specimens are reportedly often found in people’s homes, where they often seek shelter from the cold.
The specimen found in the Krefeld supermarket was reportedly handed over to an animal rescue service.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: William McGee, Agency: Newsflash
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