Are there tarantulas on Madeira?

The best known is the Hogna maderiana, the Madeira Wolf Spider, sometimes also called the Madeira Tarantula. It is completely harmless, though scary for anyone afraid of spiders. It should not be mistaken for the Hogna ingens, the Desertas Wolf Spider. Now, that species is poisonous, though not deadly for humans.



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Assessment Rationale: The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens (Blackwall, 1857) (Araneae, Lycosidae).

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Resident and migrant cetaceans are present in the waters around Madeira, including short-finned pilot whale, common bottlenose dolphin and Atlantic spotted dolphin. Bryde's whale and sperm whale are also recorded in Madeiran waters but you would need to be lucky to see these on a short break to the island.

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In Madeira, also with a high diversity, the giant and colorful endemic wolf spiders from the genus Honga have a total of seven species (Crespo et al, 2022).

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The Madeira Wolf Spider (Hogna maderiana) is known throughout the island of Madeira (Portugal) in open habitats. This species has a restricted geographic range with a maximum estimate of extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) of ca 900 km².

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The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens (Blackwall, 1857) (Araneae, Lycosidae).

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Fauna and flora There are no dangerous animals such as snakes, scorpions or spiders on the island so it is possible move freely without concern unless you are scared of heights.

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Sharks are widely distributed around Madeira Island with the most abundant species being M. mustelus.

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The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens (Blackwall, 1857) (Araneae, Lycosidae).

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Most are small to medium-sized. The largest, Hogna ingens, found only on Deserta Grande in the Madeira Islands, has a body about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long and legs about the same length. Most wolf spiders are dark brown.

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Madeira is a subtropical island that differs from other locations with similar climates in a very special way. The island has virtually no pests and is free of dangerous insects and bugs. Wild animals are limited to rabbits and birds. There are no snakes and no swarms of irritating mosquitoes!

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Violent crime involving tourists is extremely rare in Madeira and so you have little to worry about with regard to personal safety. But as with any travel destination, it's important to take basic travel safety precautions such as keeping your valuables close by and/or hidden, especially at night.

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Even though Madeira is a subtropical island, where all kinds of nasty critters would thrive because of the climate, there are no poisonous or otherwise dangerous animals in Madeira.

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The Desertas Islands (Madeira, Portugal) are the sole home of one of the largest and rarest wolf spider species worldwide, Hogna ingens (Blackwall, 1857) (Araneae, Lycosidae).

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Bugs (like mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas) can spread a number of diseases in the Madeira Islands. Many of these diseases cannot be prevented with a vaccine or medicine. You can reduce your risk by taking steps to prevent bug bites.

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Phacellophora camtschatica. This species occurs in the Azores and Madeira waters during spring and summer. It is a large jellyfish known as fried egg jellyfish due to the yellow coloration in the center of its body that resembles an egg yolk.

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