For some people this spider looks like a creature straight out of a nightmare. The Nosferatu spider is spreading ever further across Europe. The species, which normally lives around the Mediterranean, is now also being sighted more and more often on the Baltic Sea coast. Germany’s nature conservation association NABU has been documenting the spread of this unusual spider, which can also bite humans, across the country for several years.Named after a horror filmIn German the large spider Zoropsis spinimana is actually named after a horror film, namely the vampire from the silent movie ‘Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror’ by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. The Nosferatu in the film has pointed teeth and, like the spider, slender, delicate arms and legs. Those who coined the name also felt that the pattern on the Nosferatu spider’s thorax resembles the face of the blood-sucking Dracula. Others see a skull or a mask in the spider’s markings. NABU even refers to it as ‘the spider with the vampire tattoo’, calling it a stroke of luck because it has aroused so much public interest.The males are generally smaller, measuring between 10 and 13 millimetres, while the females can reach between 10 and 19 millimetres. Including the legs, Zoropsis spinimana can attain an impressive length of up to 8 centimetres.Observed in all federal states: ‘More reports than ever’With the help of a reporting campaign in which tens of thousands of people across Germany took part, NABU has now documented the Nosferatu spider in every federal state. Most recently there have been many reports from the Baltic Sea coast, from Rügen and Usedom.The Mediterranean spider now also feels at home in the cooler state of Schleswig-Holstein. NABU assumes that holidaymakers may have brought the Nosferatu spider with them in their luggage.According to Dr Alexander Wirth from NABU, there were ‘more reports with photos than ever before’ in spring 2026: ‘More than 2,500 photos have already been submitted. If you look at this period (January to May) for the individual federal states, almost all of them show a record number of photo reports for spring 2026.’NABU’s ‘Naturgucker’ platform has published an interactive version of the map showing the spread of the Nosferatu spider (source in German) on the internet.And if the Nosferatu spider bites…When it feels threatened, the Nosferatu spider may bite a human. The bite is similar to a wasp sting. The swelling subsides after a few days. Only people with allergies need to be cautious.Thanks to its adhesive hairs, this spider can even climb up windows or other glass surfaces, allowing it to get almost anywhere. Because Nosferatu spiders prefer warmth, they like to stay inside buildings. Anyone who finds a Nosferatu spider in their house or flat should not squash it, but carefully take it outside.Nosferatu spiders are particularly fond of spending the winter in homes or garages. According to NABU, images of juveniles and egg sacs show that this makes reproduction possible all year round, which, alongside climate change, could be an important factor in the successful spread of the species.As NABU explains, they feed mainly on other spiders, which can even be larger than they are, and they also eat flies and moths.