When I was in Belize, one of the crazy things that I wanted to do was to have a first hand encounter with a wild tarantula. Let’s be honest, spiders are not as appreciated as a say…a cuddly little kitten but they are certainly more interesting. In Florida, the biggest spiders that we have are probably banana spiders. I know banana spiders can be quite frightening, but they don’t even compare to their black hairy counterparts.
Tarantulas live in underground burrows. To find a tarantula, you must look for holes on the ground or tight crevases in which they might choose to live in. Once you find a burrow, you can force the spider to come out by pouring water into the hole and wait for it to run out.
The tarantula seen in the pictures was found in the backyard of a Belizean home. It had took up residence in the fist-size space of the CBC block. After pouring water in the space, it came out in it’s typical defense mode with it’s anterior legs raised. In such a position, one must be cautious because the spider may bite. Once it gets out of this posture, it can be held in the hand because their vision is actually quite poor.
About Me
Joe Marrero is an adventurer, explorer, and scuba diver from Miami, Florida. He has filmed in steamy jungles, dark caves, deep underwater, and in broiling deserts. He has two degrees from FIU in Computer Science and Math. 
