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The biggest spiders in the world
are the aptly named "goliath"
tarantulas.
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Most people would run the other
way if they saw a spider that was
this big.
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But one intrepid researcher
makes it his business
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to track them down and catch
them.
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For many, tarantulas inspire fear.
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But for tarantula expert Rick
West, they just inspire.
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West says these skilled hunters,
which live mostly on insects,
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but may eat larger animals like
mice and birds, are misunderstood.
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They've been maligned in horror
movies.
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These are the things that as
we've come up through our years
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watching television, science
fiction movies,
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it's a lways the thing that creeps
out of the shadow and goes for
the jugular.
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And it does; it creeps people out
and gives them the wrong impression.
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Rick has come to French Guiana
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in search of the largest spider in the world --
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the "goliath."
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It can grow to nearly thirty centimeters across,
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with large sharp teeth called
fangs which can be five
centimeters long.
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But the fangs aren't the
tarantula's only weapons.
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Its adomen is covered with
small hairs.
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The spider can shed these
quickly if it is threatened.
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The hairs can stick to your skin
or go inside your nose
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and cause painful irritation.
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For Rick, it's best to look for
spiders in the dark.
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Most tarantulas live underground
and come out to hunt at night.
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And suddenly, right at his feet ...
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a giant.
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This is a beautiful female.
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She is a monster.
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This is Theraphosa Blondi,
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it's the world's largest tarantula
and the world's largest spider.
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She's gotta have a legspan of
about 10 inches across.
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Just have to slow her down here.
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Unless you really do something to injure it
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or to scare it, they'll just walk on you.
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Rick isn't afraid to have a giant
tarantula on his shoulder,
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but he is careful about its irritating hairs,
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so he lets the spider climb down
his arm and onto the ground again.
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For tiny creatures, this spider is truly a threat.
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But for most humans, a
tarantula's bite is no worse than a
bee sting.
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West hopes that as he teaches
the world more about these creatures,
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fear will turn into fascination.