Original subtitles

What I'm going to do now is let

it walk on my hands and my arm.

What? Are you ready for this?

Yeah.

You're going to let that thing walk on you?

This is to prove-- oh my gosh, I just saw its fangs.

Its fangs are huge.

No matter how brave you may be, I'm

willing to bet that there's something you are afraid of.

Fears, or phobias as they are known

in the medical sciences community,

can come in many shapes and sizes.

When it comes to the fear of spiders, properly known

as arachnophobia, I think it's safe to say that this fear also

comes with many legs.

What are you looking at?

Look at this.

That's a golden silk orbweaver.

Look at the size of that spider.

Now that's a female.

For sure.

The males are small.

Oh, there's more over here.

Hold on, the whole side of this house is covered in it.

Look at this.

Wow.

Look at this.

Oh, look, they're all running.

Look at this one right here.

Better not startle it.

Whoa.

Oh.

That right there is a big spider.

Oh boy.

I will be handling one of the most

common yet scariest looking arachnids in Central America.

The golden orbweaver.

But first, I have to catch one.

Wow, that is a massive web.

Look at the anchor points down here that then run all

the way up into the hot zone.

this spider's got a good cache of food already stored up.

But given the fact that there are not too many guard strands

on the outside here, I think I might be able to actually catch

this one. All right, should we go for it?

Let's do it.

Let me see if I can get her to come right down.

You know it's a her?

Definitely a her.

Oh.

I'm losing it.

Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it.

Nice.

There we go.

Oh, that is a big spider right there.

And I bet anybody watching right now who has arachnophobia

is thinking to themselves, Coyote,

you are absolutely crazy.

OK.

Let's bring it out here from under the overhang.

There we go.

It's staying completely still on the stick.

Look at that arachnid.

Wow.

One impressive specimen.

OK.

I want it to the top of the stick.

Look at those hook legs.

That will make your skin crawl.

OK Mark.

Give me that little plastic cube.

Real slowly before it drops down on me.

Got it, got it, got it, got it.

Let me see if I can get her to slowly walk in there.

Got it.

Wow.

That is one intimidating arachnid right there.

All right.

Let's get this spider into a controlled situation

and see just how dangerous it really is.

Warning.

Spider bites can be incredibly dangerous

and potentially fatal.

Never attempt to catch or handle a spider.

All right.

Now I am going to keep my spider stick with me

just in case I need to balance the animal on it at some point.

Oh boy.

You see it up in its web, and you're like,

oh, it's not that big.

Until you get it inside of a clear plastic cube and it's

right next to your face.

It's a lot bigger up close and personal.

All right, I'm going to take off my pack so I

have a little more mobility.

Now like Arizona's black widow, this spider is oftentimes

found in residential areas.

And they build their webs all over manmade structures.

So it's a species that you oftentimes stumble upon.

However, because they're web builders,

they stick to their webs.

Now people do encounter them because if you're out there

in the rainforest, they oftentimes will span

their webs between two trees.

And like in one of those famous adventure movies,

if you're walking through the rainforest at night, whack.

You may walk straight into web and find

this spider on your person.

Now these spiders are armed with a neurotoxic venom,

which will attack the nervous system of their prey.

What these spiders are out there feasting on

is any sort of insect that is unfortunate enough

to fly into their webs.

However, some of these spiders manage

to grow large enough where they can actually take lizards.

And I've see pictures on the internet of ones that have

eaten small birds and bats.

How crazy is that?

Now those are the ones that are in Australia.

The ones here in Central and South America

don't grow quite as big.

And there are actually 23 recognized species worldwide.

This is actually a spider people often see in Florida

and they show up in bananas.

Did you know that?

They're actually also known as the banana spider.

And they've been transported into the United States

through shipments of fruit.

Now unlike the wandering spider, this is not a nomadic hunter.

It's waiting for its prey to come to its web.

Now let's say a fly or a beetle gets trapped

in that sticky spider silk.

What they will do is rush forward and inflict a bite.

That initial hit from those fangs

sends the prey into shock, and as the neurotoxic venom

is beginning to shut down that victim's system, what

the spider will do is crawl back and just

watch its prey struggle.

The more struggles, the more it becomes entangled in the web.

And once it succumbs to the venom, what they'll

do is come in and spin a web around the victim

and then store it there.

Now based on the variety of orbweaver,

they have a different potency of venom.

The one that's here in Central and South America,

while I don't believe it can kill you, is extremely painful.

A bite from this spider because your arm to swell up,

it'll be really bad.

You'll dry mouth, cramping in your stomach.

And it's going to be a really, really

rough afternoon if I end up getting

tagged by this creature.

Now here's where it gets a little tricky, guys.

Like the black widow, this spider

is capable of giving me a pretty painful bite.

But to prove to you that this spider is not just

out to bite you, what I'm going to do now

is let it walk on my hands and my arm.

What?

Ready for this?

Yeah.

You're going to let that thing walk on you?

This is to prove-- oh my gosh, I just saw its fangs.

Its fangs are huge.

OK.

Maybe I am having second thoughts about this.

Oh boy.

Here we go.

All right.

What I want to do is actually use my spider stick

and let the spider get onto the stick first

so that it feels a little more comfortable.

There we go.

That's a big spider.

You know what I'm going to have to deal

with is the webbing, just like I did the black widow.

You can see that in the tensile strength of this web

is so much stronger than that of the black widow.

So I hope that I'm not tangled up too bad.

OK, here we go.

I'm going to start by letting it crawl onto this hand.

Oh boy.

Oh boy.

Spin it for you like that.

Wow.

It is beautiful.

That's for sure.

All right.

It seems to be pretty calmed down at this point.

What I'm going to do is put the stick sideways

and my mouth is getting dry.

I'm getting nervous here.

Gonna just place my hand out in front of the spider

and see if it will walk out onto my fingers.

Are you ready?

One, two, three.

OK.

Spider is on my arm OK.

Going up my arm.

OK.

OK.

Oh boy.

I'm losing control.

It's getting back here.

Let's see if I can get onto my hand and around this way.

There we go.

It's got its legs up in the air.

Let me see if I can keep it completely calm there.

You see my hand is shaking a little bit

Is that a defensive position?

It's a little bit of a defensive position

with the legs up in the air like that.

And it's right on my knuckle.

Don't bite me, don't bite me, don't bite me.

I can feel all the little hooks of its legs.

What are you feeling right now?

Feeling those nerves going?

Extremely nervous.

I'm trying to just be super still.

Let the spider find a place where

where it feels comfortable.

And hopefully it will just--

oh, there we go.

Oh, look at that.

It wanted to go right back onto the stick.

Look, you can actually see the webbing hanging right

from the tip of my finger.

Here, let me see if I can get it back on my hand.

There we go.

She's really just interested in getting away.

Remember, the spider does have a neurotoxic venom

very similar to that of the black widow.

I want to just remain completely calm.

If you were bitten by this spider, to be clear,

it's a very bad situation.

It could potentially be really bad, depending how

much venom went into my body.

OK.

Oh man.

Her webbing is so much stronger than that of the black widow.

OK, where did she go? On your elbow.

On your elbow. Up your back.

OK. It's coming this way.

I'm going to slowly turn.

See if I can get her back onto my hand.

Yep, yep. There you go.

Got it.

There we go.

What I don't want to do is make any sudden movement

or pull the webbing too tightly.

Because if she feels threatened, that

is when she's going to bite.

Now the way that most spider bites end up happening

is somebody applies pressure to the arachnid

and they fear for their lives.

And the bite is oftentimes just a warning that, hey, I am here.

Don't squish me.

Now spiders can control the amount of venom

that they inject into what it is they're biting.

Because I am not a potential prey

item, if she were to bite me--

Oh boy.

Right on the tip of my finger there.

She's completely tangling me up.

If she were to bite me, it could possibly be a dry bite,

or I would basically keep my fingers crossed

and pray that it was not a full on bite loaded with venom.

Because that could be an incredibly bad situation.

There we go.

She feels real comfortable there.

Man, I am getting completely tangled up,

and I can feel how strong that spider silk is.

Coyote? - There we go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah?

You think you have a good control of the situation here?

I don't think you ever have good control

when there is a spider just freely

climbing around on your body.

Where did she go?

OK.

Wow, I'm getting big time tangled up here, guys.

Look at that.

There's so much webbing, she's able to just free climb

right out on top of me there.

That gives me an opportunity to get some of that spider silk.

Just a moment to breathe there where

she's not actually on my hand.

So tell us why you're doing this Coyote.

You have a reason for this.

There's always a reason for this.

And the reason is that you should not just automatically

be afraid of these spiders.

Actually, these arachnids are doing

wonderful things for the environment

by eating a lot of pest insects.

Now if you're in Central or South America,

you see one of these outside of your house,

you don't need to be afraid of it.

These spiders stick to their webs, and all they're doing

is catching nuisance insects.

Now if you go into that web and you try to harass the spider,

obviously you may be bitten.

But the spider really has no interest

in actually biting me as long as I don't

apply pressure to its body.

I'm getting a little more comfortable now.

But you always have to keep your guard up,

because you see how she's getting all

tangled up in her own webbing?

I don't want her to feel like she's

getting pulled in any one direction

and then end up inflicting a bite.

This is a species that's only interested in eating insects.

Not in biting humans.

Now you would never do this with something

like a wandering spider. Correct?

No.

A wandering spider's venom is so incredibly potent it

could put me in the hospital.

A bite from a spider like this, there is the chance that a lot

of venom could go into my body.

However, as a human, I am not pray for the species.

So the bite probably wouldn't be so bad that I'd

need to go to the hospital.

However, it would swell up, it would turn red,

I'd have dry mouth, cramping in my stomach,

but after about 24 hours, it would be nothing

more than a red itchy spot.

You know, my nerves calm quite a bit once

the spider has found a spot that it is comfortable

and not walking around.

You can see its mandibles and fangs are well up

off of my hand right now, but if I were to startle her or apply

any pressure to the top of her body, it would force her down,

and that's when a bite would be inflicted.

Again, I never recommend that you go out in the wild

and ever try to free handle a spider on your own.

You never know how your body would react to the venom

if you were bitten.

Well guys, it looks like the sun is starting to get a little low

in the sky, which means it's going to be close to hunting

time for this arachnid, because when the sun gets low,

that's when all the insects come out.

So what I want to do now-- oh, she's going down my arm--

is safely get her back up into her web so that she can go out

and hunt for the night.

I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild,

we'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, back up into the web with you.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

And I'm about to free handle the black widow spider.

Are you ready?

Let's do it.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

What's going on guys?

Who's ready to catch some spiders?

I am. - Yeah?

OK.

So right now, we are on location in Tucson, Arizona.

As you can see, we're right outside the house.

You know what lives on houses in Arizona?

Black widow spiders.

Right now, we're going to use this little container and

this stick and try to find one.

You ready?

OK.

Now you're probably thinking to yourselves, really coyote?

You're going to find a black widow spider

right outside your house?

I have seen webs everywhere.

You see this?

All up here in the edges of these rocks, those spider webs,

are most likely made by a black widow.

What we're going to do is move all around the house,

look in the plants, look in the crevices, look by the gutters.

And I guarantee you, it won't take me long to find

one of these venomous spiders.

Come on, let's go.

Now I could just start lifting up rocks

like this looking for them.

But I'm hoping to find one already naturally

hanging out in it's web.

And this real open rock structure like this

is absolutely perfect for them.

Black widows are actually drawn to houses.

Can you imagine why?

What do spiders eat?

Other bugs.

Bugs are drawn into lights.

So where their lights at night, and the bugs come in,

the spiders have the chance for a feast.

That's why I'm looking right here

around the edge of the house.

And that would worry a lot of people.

Oh, yeah.

Well people-- as we know, the fear of spiders, arachnophobia.

People are absolutely terrified of spiders,

and black widows specifically, because

of the potency of their venom.

Look at this.

Oh, there's one.

Oh!

Did you see one? - Totally saw it.

There's no way you saw it.

This is definitely black widow web right here.

It was hanging just down on the edge of this rock.

Hold on.

They're actually really quick when they dart.

Yeah, no.

It's back up in there.

Yeah. 100%.

That's a black widow hole right there.

Well not actually on the house.

But just a couple of feet away from it.

Let's move down this way and keep looking.

We're going to get one.

Let's check out the fire pit here.

You were telling me you had a good feeling

about the fire pit.

I see some webs.

Oh, I see one right there.

You got one?

Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.

Oh, it's going back there.

Hold on a second.

Oh, there it is right there.

Look at that.

OK, let me get it into the container.

Oh, it's going towards my thumb.

OK.

Let's see if she'll walk right in there.

Go, go, go.

Yes.

There we go.

A little bit of air got her into the container.

And there you have it.

That is a female black widow.

Exactly what we were looking for.

Sure enough, right here in the fire pit.

It's kind of a dangerous spot to be leaving your web there.

Now I'm going to show you why this is an arachnid you just

need to admire from a safe distance

and not necessarily be afraid of.

What I'm about to do here is prove that the black widow

is not out to bite you.

I'm going to actually free handle this spider.

Oh boy.

You guys ready for this?

You told us you were going to try

this if we found a black widow.

Well I didn't tell you at the beginning episode.

I know I told you, I know I told Mario.

And I said to really disprove that the black widow is just

out there to bite you, I'm going to let it walk on my hands

and on my arms and hopefully not take a bite.

Now you can see she's just laying on the bottom there,

actually playing dead, rolled up in a little ball.

That is a defense mechanism.

Especially when there's nowhere to escape to.

I will note that there is no one in the past 10 years

that has died from the bite of a black widow.

The bite is very painful, cause stomach cramping,

cause vomiting, it can cause dry mouth, a lot of pain

for several hours.

So I not want to be bitten.

Either way, I will admit that I am nervous.

I do not have arachnophobia, which we know,

is the fear of spiders.

But when you're looking at the widow,

it definitely gets your heart racing.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

And I'm about to free handle the black widow spider.

Are you ready?

Let's do it.

Here we go.

One, two, three.

Oh my.

Right onto the edge of my finger.

OK, now she's going down my arm.

She's actually spun a little thread of web.

Like she's becoming secured to me.

Oh, I thought she was about to bite.

Now one thing most people don't realize about the black widow

spider is that if it does inflict a bite,

that bite is oftentimes just a warning.

And they aren't actually injecting as much venom

as they would into say a prey item.

They're not looking to kill you as a human.

They're simply looking to startle you so that they

can ultimately get away.

And you see that, she is just tangling my arms up with web.

It's almost invisible to the eye.

But I can feel it all over me, tangling me up.

Kind of makes me a bit nervous.

I'm getting covered in spider web right now.

Let me actually get her back onto the stick.

Oh, oh, oh.

That looks dangerous.

I scared her there.

Let me get her on the stick here.

I got to get some of his webbing off of my arm.

Here you go.

It's really sticky.

And every single time that I move my arm,

I can feel that web pulling, and pulling her,

and what I'm afraid of is that she's going to get startled

and then inflict a bite.

Now this is a female.

The females are larger than the males,

and they have that quintessential red hourglass

shape on the abdomen.

That is the easiest way to identify one of these spiders.

You know, she's very dark in coloration,

has that big bulbous abdomen.

You think she's calm to put back in your head?

The question is, am I calm enough

to let her get back on my hand.

Yeah, let's see.

So why is the spider not biting you?

Spider's not biting me because I'm not applying

any pressure to its body.

Oh, now I can't see her.

Where is she?

Going on that side.

And as long as I don't apply pressure,

hopefully she will stay calm, and I will not be bitten.

All right, she feels very comfortable right

there on the edge of my thumb.

I'm going to keep my hand incredibly still.

You may notice that the tone of my voice has slightly changed.

That is because she is right on the edge of my thumb.

You see that?

She feels hidden right there.

She's comfortable.

She's in the crevice of my thumb.

And without me talking real loudly next to her,

she's just thinking, OK, I'm hidden.

I was captured from my web, don't worry sweetie.

We're going to put you right back in the web.

Nothing to fear.

Now I would never recommend that you go out

and try to pick up a black widow.

If you see a black widow outside of your house,

you do not need to be afraid of it.

Remember, these arachnids are eating the pest insects

that are out there.

Could be mosquitoes, could be moths.

Whatever it is, the spider has no interest in biting you.

Oftentimes, the way a bite happens

is when somebody grabs onto the spider accidentally

and is bitten.

Now let's say you walk through the web of a black widow

and you find it on your person.

Do not panic.

The best thing to do is to just remain calm, try to pick up

a stick, something like this, let the spider

crawl onto the stick, and then place

it back into the environment.

Oh, I'm sure a lot of you out there who have arachnophobia

are watching me handle this spider right now

and you're just cringing in your seats.

And I will not lie, my mouth is getting dry.

And I'm trying my best to not shake

my hand right now despite the fact

that I'm incredibly nervous.

I'm going to very slowly turn my hand.

There you go sweetie.

Oh, don't move.

Look at that.

That is one of the most venomous spiders in the United States.

And it's just gently clutched right

there on the edge of my hand.

I would definitely say that this was

pretty intense, free handling the one

and only black widow spider.

I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on the next location.

I said it before.

And I can't say it enough.

Never attempt to free handle a black widow.

Like all spiders, they're venomous.

And a bite from this specific species is incredibly painful.

If you see a black widow hanging out

in the web near your residence, simply

admire from a safe distance, and you will be just fine.

OK.

After getting the macro shots, the most important part.

Letting the spider back into its web.

You ready?

Yeah.