Maxima and Bo are fascinated by the anatomy of arachnids with their fathers.
Exotic giant spiders as a crowd puller: the insect show in Ingolstadt fascinated numerous visitors.
It is said that the tarantula owes its trivial German name to a drawing by Maria Sibylla Merian. The naturalist from Frankfurt am Main traveled with her daughter to Suriname in South America in 1699 to conduct research. In the book published after the voyage on the “Transformation of the Surinamese Insects”, there is an illustration in which a large spider, sitting on a branch, is eating a hummingbird. A momentous display, as it turns out. Decades later, she inspired Merian’s Swedish colleague Carl von Linné to describe the spider genus as “bird-like”.
Of course, hummingbirds are not served as the main meal at the weekend in the giant spider and insect show in the cultural center nine. The hairy octopods may have preferred crickets and cockroaches for refreshment. In any case, they are the absolute eye-catcher, because already on Saturday noon young and old visitors flock to the exhibition in large numbers to set off on an expedition through the realm of exotic crawlers.
Spider on hand: “Tickly and kinda soft”
There is a lot to discover that you cannot (yet) experience in the wild in this country: from the Mexican red-knee tarantula to the Congo rose chafer to tropical scorpions and stick insects. Shielded from the curious outside world, they cower, lurk and crawl in their terrariums – but if you want, you can pose for a souvenir photo with a giant spider on your palm and under professional supervision. The picture is then handed out to the brave and courageous together with the certificate as a souvenir. And? How does the spider feel in your hand? “Tickly, tingly, kind of soft,” the audience overhears.
Alexandra Guwa from Ingolstadt didn’t have to overcome a spider phobia for her souvenir photo. “We like spiders,” she says. They came here so that her little son Levian doesn’t develop such exaggerated fears in the first place, she says. “I used to be afraid of spiders,” admits the mother. “But then I looked fear in the eye and held a spider. I’ve been fascinated ever since,” she adds.
Slight vibration suggests easy prey
Exhibitor Giovanno Neigert knows that the spider has no idea that it is on a human hand. “Spiders are basically primitive animals that can only tell the difference between day and night,” he explains. The tarantula therefore does not perceive humans as beings. You let yourself be guided purely by vibrations and shocks. A slight vibration suggests her easy prey – she feels superior and is aggressive. “If things get rough, 90 percent of the spiders hole up in their burrow,” says Neigert.
According to his knowledge, exhibitions like the one he has been organizing himself since 2011 do not harm the animals. He has no understanding for the fact that exotic animals are simply abandoned, as was recently the case near Rohrbach in the Pfaffenhofen district, when nine dead pythons were found in a forest, which died in agony in the cold.
He, on the other hand, is traveling with a trailer with gas heating. “We always have between 25 and 30 degrees,” he says. In addition, a humidifier is in operation and air conditioning in summer. Neigert can apparently also deal well with the increased energy costs. “We have a photovoltaic system,” he says.
Alexandra Guwa is not afraid of contact with large spiders. She attended the exhibition with her husband and son Levian. . Photos: Brandl
