Deadly Spider Shuts Down German Supermarket

[marmar]

from Der Spiegel:



A supermarket in Germany was evacuated last Friday after a worker reported seeing one of the world's must deadly and vicious spiders -- a Brazilian Wandering Spider -- jump out of a banana crate. The store is due to reopen Monday after it was sprayed with pesticide -- but the beast has not been found.

It is a nightmare scenario for any supermarket. Last Friday morning, as an employee was unloading bananas from a crate in a large grocery store in south-western Germany, a large, greyish, hairy spider about 13 centimeters long jumped out and scuttled under a shelf.

The member of staff checked the Internet for images of spiders resembling the one he had just seen, and was shocked when he found a match: a Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria nigriventer), billed as one of the world's most venomous and aggressive spiders.

The store in the town of Bexbach was immediately evacuated and the police were called in. A spider expert from a nearby zoo helped a team of 30 people who gingerly searched the shelves, at times switching off the lights to lure the nocturnal beast out of its hiding place. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,773656,00.html

[Marrah_G]

1. I would never go near that place again

I would probably have to be tranquilized if a 13 cm spider jumped out at me...............

[MODem75]

18. Especially after being sprayed down with pesticide.

[warrior1]

2. wholly crap

[Solly Mack]

3. Sounds scary.

[Enrique]

4. how many is a brazilian?

sorry.

[existentialist]

7. You're forgiven.

I remember that joke; you made me smile.

[RadiationTherapy]

5. 13 centimeters is 5.2 inches.

For better imagining, america.

[dmosh42]

6. We have had tarantulas and the like coming in with bananas....

for years. But with the media under control of our super sized corporations they don't dare publicize it.

[Cleita]

13. I saw a dead tarantula once among the bananas

at a Fred Meyer in Puyallup. It was enough to keep me from buying bananas that day. I dunno what I would do if I saw that other MF.

[Renew Deal]

15. It happened last year and was publicized

http://www.newson6.com/story/10025233/deadly-spider-found-at-tulsa-store

[TwilightGardener]

23. Meh, tarantulas aren't that venemous or aggressive. They wander across my patio.

[Dappleganger]

25. They are like the teddy bears of spiders.

[girl gone mad]

32. I've got a female living in my garden right now..

she's lovely.

[Kali]

8. oh please

they saw it jump and run under something, didn't catch it or kill it and find the remains and yet some clowns id'd it off the intertubes? yeah, sure.

[WinkyDink]

17. Feel free to volunteer for the search!

[Kali]

20. trip to Germany?

hell yes! I am not afraid of spiders. (I live on a ranch in SE Arizona - you should check out some of my lounge posts on critters I encounter, often in the house :rofl: )

[lpbk2713]

9. It should be called a Buttface Spider.

IMO :eyes:

[Taverner]

10. This is why I am so paranoid about bananas

Jeez, that thing scares the bejeezus out of me...

[chill_wind]

11. Ack.

:scared:

[RandySF]

12. I would never get a close enough look

To be able to ID it.

[Renew Deal]

14. Something like that happened at a Whole Foods down south like a year ago.

It was a spider in bananas from Argentina. Scary. :scared:

[Ichingcarpenter]

16. Whole Foods........LOL

I see what you did.

[Renew Deal]

19. What did I do?

:shrug:

[ellie]

21. I am sorry that I

clicked on this thread. However, I do know where not to travel: Brazil and this store in Germany.

[Blue_Tires]

22. kill it with fire...

may want to burn down the entire store to be certain...

[RandySF]

24. Anyone ever hear of "The Banana Boat Song"?

A beautiful bunch a' ripe banana
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Hide the deadly black tarantula
Daylight come and me wan' go home


Spiders have been jumping out of banana crates since bananas were first exported. BTW, there was a similar case in Oklahoma and it turned out to be a non-threatening species.

[AtomicKitten]

26. ((Kuro Scream))

[WatsonT]

27. Nuke the site from orbit

it's the only way to be sure.

[Ilsa]

28. LOL. One of my favorite scenes. Thanks! nt

[LeftinOH]

30. I know how this ends: It's a female, and she's wandered off to lay her eggs.

Hopefully, that's not the case here, but it's little things like this incident that can cause invasive species to take hold.

[d_b]

33. "FUCKIN' A"

[woodsprite]

29. These guys could be used to our advantage.

Apparently their venom is deadly, but can also have another effect. Forget the intense pain and death, it can cause you to pop a boner that lasts for hours. Do you think we could sell them to the GOP as a new non-FDA regulated form of Viagra?

:sarcasm:

[maxrandb]

31. Holy Crap! I wasn't scared until I read this..

"Aside from causing intense pain, the venom of the spider can also cause priapism in humans. Erections resulting from the bite are uncomfortable, can last for many hours and can lead to impotence"

Priapism: (Ancient Greek: πριαπισμός, erection), known also as Hulseyism, is a potentially harmful and painful medical condition in which the erect penis or clitoris<1> does not return to its flaccid state, despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation, within four hours. There are two types of priapism: low-flow and high-flow. Low-flow involves the blood not adequately returning to the body from the organ. High-flow involves a short-circuit of the vascular system partway along the organ. Treatment is different for each type. Priapism is considered a medical emergency, which should receive proper treatment by a qualified medical practitioner. Early treatment can be beneficial for a functional recovery.

The name comes from the Greek god Priapus (Ancient Greek: Πρίαπος), who was noted for his disproportionately large and permanent erection.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to hang out with Priapus!

[LiberalEsto]

34. Looks a lot like Dick Cheney

Why am I not surprised?