Woman forgets 20 tarantulas on German train

A woman forgot 20 tarantulas on a train in southern Germany, prompting a police response after the unusual cargo was discovered by a train driver.

The driver found a package labelled "spiders and scorpions" on board a regional service travelling to the university town of Tübingen and alerted the police.

After the package was handed over at Tübingen's main station, officers found a printed note on the box identifying the owner and confirming compliance with species protection regulations, a police spokesman said on Friday.

The 20 Brazilian tarantulas of the species Avicularia geroldi were packed in individual containers inside the box. All of the spiders were in good condition when they were discovered on Thursday.

Police contacted the owner, who was able to collect the animals later the same day. It was not clear why she had left the unusual cargo behind on the train.