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Tarantula sightings are becoming increasingly common in Austria in recent months, with more than 200 reported cases since the beginning of September.
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The reports were submitted through the citizen science platform naturbeobachtung.at, with 175 confirmed by experts.
The state of Styria in southeastern Austria has recorded the most sightings over the period, with 66. Lower Austria follows with 49 and then comes Burgenland with 43. Sightings were also reported in Carinthia.
Tarantulas are particularly active in the autumn, when they search for sheltered spots to spend the winter. In some cases, they find their way into flats, houses or garages. In their natural habitat, they typically seek refuge in underground burrows and rock crevices.
Some of the recent discoveries are of particular interest to researchers.
A South Russian tarantula was found in Tulln in Lower Austria, an unusually far northwestern sighting.
There had previously been no reported sightings in the surrounding region, Carolina Trcka-Rojas of the Austrian Nature Conservation Association said.
There were also notable finds involving the black-bellied tarantula. At the end of August, it was spotted in Stossau in the lower Gail valley, the westernmost record of the species in Austria to date.
Two species of tarantula can generally be found in Austria, the southern Russian tarantula and the black-bellied tarantula. Both belong to the wolf spider family and can bite if they feel threatened, although this is rare.
A bite can be painful and may cause redness and swelling. For healthy people, however, it is usually not dangerous.
The South Russian tarantula was first recorded in Austria in the early 1920s, around Lake Neusiedl and Vienna. The black-bellied tarantula was first documented in Styria in the 1970s.
The trend is not limited to Austria. A study from 2025 showed that tarantulas were also spreading in Czechia after declining for decades. Researchers see warmer and drier summers as a key factor.
