A SUPERMARKET was evacuated after a spider whose bite can cause permanent erections was “spotted among bunches of bananas”.
The Penny Shop, in Austria, has remained closed since Tuesday since the horror sighting of the four-inch black and red arachnid.
Krems Volunteer Fire DepartmentThe Penny Shop in Austria was forced to close after the spider sighting[/caption]
AlamyThe Brazilian Wandering Spider is one of the most venomous in the world[/caption]
Emergency services dashed to the scene and warned that the spider may have been a highly venomous Brazilian Wandering Spider – known to reach Europe by lurking in packs of bananas.
An exterminator was called to the store and began sealing the banana crates in an effort to stop the spider from escaping the shop grounds.
Local reports have stated that The Penny Shop will likely stay closed until next week.
A spokesman for the Rewe retail group said that “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection measures” are now underway to prepare the store for reopening.
But authorities added that: “Despite an extensive search, no spiders have been found to date”.
The Brazillian Wandering Spider is one of the planet’s most venomous spiders, ad their bites can sometimes be fatal.
After being bitten by one of the grisly creatures, victims will often suffer from hypothermia, blurred vision, convulsions, and in some cases, erections.
The spider’s venom is even being studied for use in erectile dysfunction treatments after it was found that a bite from one of the spiders can give male victims a painful four-hour erection.
They spend most of their day hiding under logs or in crevices and come out to hunt at night.
They eat insects, other spiders, and sometimes, small amphibians, reptiles, and mice.
It has been reported that around 4,000 people are bitten by the arachnid each year, with 0.5 per cent of cases leading to death.
The Brazilian Wandering spider appears in the Guinness Book of World Records as one of the world’s most venomous arachnids after the Sydney funnel-web spider.
They are known as the wandering spider because they do not build webs, but instead walk the jungle floor at night looking for prey.
In urban areas, they often take refuge in houses and cars, where they are easily disturbed by humans.
This shocking sighting comes after a terrified shopper found a huntsman spider with a huge egg sac in his bananas after buying them from his local Tesco.
Another bloke made a skin-crawling discovery in 2021 after spotting a creature’s leg poking out from his banana.