This is an Arachnophobe’s Worst Nightmare, Tarantulas Can Swim in Terlingua, Texas
Hi. My name is Michael Gibson and I am an arachnophobe. I have no idea where my fear of those 8 legged creatures came from. All I know is, I won't be the one to kill one if it gets close to me. I have had encounters where I literally froze in place in fear. Just writing about spiders gives me the creepy crawlies. So you can imagine the fear in my eyes when I saw this video out of Big Bend Ranch State Park in Terlingua, Texas of a tarantula swimming.
Tarantulas Can Swim!!
The video below causes all kinds of body shivers and makes me not want to go outside ever again. The video is of a tarantula swimming. Yes, a spider, on video, swimming. My worst nightmare has come true. The video was captured at Big Bend Ranch State Park in Terlingua, Texas, right along the Texas - Mexico border southeast of El Paso.
I Know They're Harmless
I know tarantulas are pretty much harmless to humans but this is still terrifying. My only reaction would be to turn around and swim as fast as possible to get away from this. I had no idea that a spider could even swim. I use swim loosely because it looks more like a dog paddle.
The Big Bend Ranch State Park commented with a picture of what they thought was the species in the video.
How a Tarantula Can "Swim"
Believe it or not, tarantulas can swim. They have a hydrophobic cuticle and hydrophobic body hairs that will allow them to float. That doesn't mean they are strong swimmers, though. As seen in the video, that tarantula tired out pretty quickly. If he was a larger tarantula, he would have sunk and drowned.
I don't know what specifically made me so fearful of spiders but even wolf spiders give me the creeps. I'm gonna have body shivers all day now thinking about this story.