A woman in Austria was shocked to find a family of 18 scorpions in her suitcase after a holiday in Croatia.
The woman was unpacking at her home in Natternbach on Saturday (July 23) when she made the frightening discovery.
And incredibly it's the third time in less than 12 months someone in the state of Upper Austria has reported finding scorpions in their home after travelling to the Adriatic country.
Local media reported that in total there were 18 scorpions in her suitcase, apparently a mother and her babies.
She immediately called the animal rescue services in Gusental.
Tierhilfe Gusental said in a statement: "The animals have been secured. They are currently in the Linz animal shelter until they start their return journey."
On June 30 another woman, this time in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, discovered a scorpion in her apartment following a holiday in Croatia.
Curiously, she had already been at home for three weeks when she made the skin-crawling find. This means the creepy-crawly had likely made itself comfortable in the flat that whole time without being noticed.
Meanwhile, in September last year a scorpion from Croatia was found at a third home in Upper Austria, before being taken to an animal shelter.
Scorpions are characterised by a segmented, curved tail tipped with a venomous stinger at the rear of the body and a pair of grasping pincers at the front.
Although they live in many habitats, they are most common and diverse in deserts.
Earlier this month, we reported on a woman who found a tarantula in her suitcase after a holiday in Cyprus.
The holidaymaker from England posted a video of the eight-legged creature on TikTok.
In the clip, her friend can be seen making a phone call for help, before the camera pans to a discarded pile of clothes chucked on the floor, from which the creepy-crawly emerges.
And the large eight-legged creature can be seen clearly before it scuttles away.
The onscreen caption reads: "Hi RSPCA, I think I may have brought a tarantula in my suitcase home with me from Cyprus."
Tarantula lovers were quick to offer advice, suggesting who the pair could contact, with a keeper also offering to take the arachnid off their hands.
