Arachnophobia Nightmare: Giant Spider Found Inside Banana Box at Grocery Store in Germany

A giant spider inside a banana box was discovered by supermarket employees at a grocery store in Bavaria, Germany.

The staff reportedly called local authorities to determine the spider species and remove the potentially dangerous eight-legged freak.

The arachnid was lurking amongst the organic bananas in the container, which had a likely shipment origin from outside the European country.

There have been other previously reported incidents in other countries, including those in North America and Europe, of banana market spiders, which eventually get mixed with shipping containers, wooden boxes, or other packages from where the fruits are harvested.

In some cases, the bananas are located in forest areas which are also the natural habitats of the hairy arachnids.

While other insects and small animals do get wind up with some fruits upon, some people consider seeing spiders alone as hair-raisers.

This sensation is multiplied if an individual has a phobia called arachnophobia, an irrational fear of spiders and other arachnids, which are a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals like scorpions.

Spider in Banana Box

Workers at the Bavaria supermarket were horrified after seeing the giant spider and immediately called the Wetingen fire department.

The spider was reportedly large enough to be a Brazilian wandering spider, according to Newsweek.

However, an examination initiated by the fire department revealed that it was rather a giant crab spider, also called as a pantropical huntsman, which are harmless to humans, according to Andreas Bandorft, the manager of a local reptile farm, where the spider was taken afterward.

Germany's Supermarket Banana Spiders

Earlier this year, large tropical spiders were also found in two banana boxes in separate supermarkets in Germany.

The first spider was discovered by market employees in a box of bananas located in Krefeld North Rhine-Westphalia region, on January 31, local media outlet Zenger news reported.

The second spider was found by terrified store workers was a venomous tropical spider, with a skull on its back, in a supermarket along Gruettweg Street in Rees, Germany, on February 3, according to the German police, as cited by the news agency.

The local police stated the Gruettweg arachnid was an exotic spider hiding in a banana box.

The said media reported that both banana boxes were shipped from the Dominican Republic.

Other Related Incidents

Germany is not the only country with "banana spiders" since there have been also reported sightings in UK and US supermarkets too.

In November 2021, a taxi driver named Jon Stein in England was surprised he found a dead Brazilian wandering spider hanging from a bunch of bananas he bought from a supermarket, according to the Southwest News Service, as cited by Fox News.

In 2014, another Brazilian wandering spider found in a bunch of bananas from a UK supermarket left a family "traumatized" after noticing that the world's most venomous spider was inside their delivery, according to The Guardian.