Woman holds tarantula in hand; netizens divided over viral video

Tarantulas are certainly not friendly beings. They are huge, hairy-looking predators that are quick-witted and vicious. They can appear frightening. They come in over 900 different species and can be as small as a fingernail or as large as a dinner plate.

Despite having an intimidating appearance, a video of a woman holding a tarantula is making rounds on the Internet. The video, which was shared on Instagram, has elicited conflicting reactions. The footage was uploaded to the Reptile Zoo's YouTube channel. It depicts one of their keepers holding a Mexican Red-Knee tarantula in her hand while talking about them.

Netizens' reaction

The video has nearly 14,000 likes and has attracted a variety of responses. While some people thought the creature was beautiful, others expressed their fear for spiders. 

"Nopenopenopenope, just to be clear you are amazing, but still nope," commented an Instagram user. "Oooooh!! I’d love to see more spider content, I love tarantulas," wrote another. "They are cool," commented a third. "It’s a no for me," the fourth comment on Instagram.

A woman who has 35 pet tarantulas

In a different scenario, a woman named Venessa Woods has more than 35 'pet' tarantulas. Earlier, Vanessa was terrified of spiders, it was a terrible dread that she experienced for almost three decades. It appears that she was able to solve the problem by watching tarantula videos on YouTube. She is not only no longer terrified of spiders, but she now sleeps with 35 tarantulas in her bed, some of which are deadly and measure up to 9 inches in length. The care assistant collected the 35 tarantulas over the course of nine months after repeatedly viewing the videos online as a kind of self-therapy. The tarantulas are housed in enclosures in her bedroom, and Venessa sleeps only a few feet away from them every night. 

Vanessa, who lives in Wymondham, Norfolk, started collecting the tarantulas two years ago and has spent countless hours viewing them on YouTube. She describes to Metro News that her new pets as 'low maintenance,' explaining that some require feeding once a week, while others only require feeding once every 12 months.

(Image- @thereptilezoo/Instagram)