(dramatic music)
- There's one right there, got one right there.
Whooo, that is creepy.
Oh, no, no, no, she's done it.
(drum music)
(suspenseful music)
Oh, there it is right there, look at that!
When it comes to handling spiders,
I am no stranger to danger, as in the past,
I have let several species, including the
infamous black widow, skitter across my bare skin.
Oh my, she's actually spun a little thread of web,
like she's becoming secured to me.
Oh, its actually about to bite.
Even the golden orb weaver, one of the largest,
most common species in Central and South America,
cast its sticky spider silk across my hands and fingers.
Okay, spider is on my arm, okay.
However, there are also species, like the
Brazilian wandering spider, that are simply
far too dangerous to risk making direct contact with.
Whoa (laughs), that was a little nerve-wracking!
Today the crew and I are on location
in Meandarra, Australia, home to one of the continent's
most common yet potentially dangerous species.
And I know everyone is waiting in anticipation
to find out what will be my next
close encounter of the arachnid kind.
So without further delay, let's see
if I can find the redback spider.
Alright, guys, so we've done some
pretty popular arachnid videos.
A lot of you have written in the comment sections
and have asked, "Coyote, if you ever go Australia,
"can you feature the redback spider?"
Which is pretty much the Australian version
of the black widow.
Now these spiders, follow me, are really common
in areas of debris and rubble.
And right over here, we've got a pile of tires.
And I have a good feeling that if we flip these tires
and look on the inside, we may
come across one of these creepy crawlies.
Come on, let's check it out.
Now, I don't want to just go reaching my hands
up underneath that rim, but I already see some webbing.
This is actually a really good sign.
- [Mark] Now, why would a tire be a good
home for a redback spider, Coyote?
- Well, because it is dark, it is warm,
and it's the perfect place to spin a web.
And, sure enough, right here, go ahead
bring your camera up a little bit closer.
And there is no spider on this.
See here you have some really loose
webbing, looks very scattered.
There's a good chance that that is redback webbing.
Now, what I don't want to do is just
tuck my fingers up underneath this tire to lift them
because that oftentimes is how people are bitten.
They press their fingers down on the arachnid.
It feels like it's gonna get squished,
and then it inflicts a bite.
So, what I'm going to do is gently pick this up,
I'm going to roll it towards you a little bit, Mark.
Oh, oh, there's a big cricket in there.
And I'm going to just gently roll it in the light.
A big cricket creature, but no spider in that one.
There is webbing, but oh, no, there's a little male.
There's a little male right inside there.
You see down there?
- [Mark] Oh, yeah.
- That's a male redback.
Now they're considerably smaller than
the black widows that we find in the States.
But we're not really interested in the male,
what we're interested in looking at is the female.
And this tire is full of a lot of rocks.
I don't think we're going to (mumbles)...
Just gently put this in this direction,
look on the underside.
Yeah, there's definitely some webbing.
Okay, there's a lot of web down here, too (mumbles).
(suspenseful music)
There's one right there, got one right there.
Right on the inside of the tire.
Hold on a second, let me see if I can
flip it up and get it into the light.
Can you see that, Mark?
The spider is right there.
But that's pretty cool to see its shadow.
You see my finger pointing right at it, Mario.
- [Mario] Yep.
- [Coyote] Whooo, that is creepy.
And actually, I think you can see the
shadow of a male just behind her.
Oftentimes, males or youngsters will
hang out in the webs with the female.
But she is cannibalistic and will occasionally feed
on not only her mate but also her young.
Now, what I want to do is gently coax the spider
out of this tire using a stick.
This is one dangerous little game
of Operation right here, folks.
Come on, crawl on the stick, you.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, okay.
That webbing is pretty sticky.
- [Mark] Now she'll rebuild her web, won't she?
- [Coyote] Oh yeah, absolutely.
Oh no, no, no, she's done it, hold on a second.
There she is.
- [Mark] Got her?
- Got her!
- [Mark] Nice!
- Wow, look at that arachnid.
There we go, that
is the redback spider,
Australia's version of the black widow.
Now, you'll notice it's a bit smaller than some
of the black widows we've featured before.
And this species does not grow as
large as the American black widow.
Wow, look at how long their legs are,
and that big, bulbous abdomen.
What you'll notice about the redback is that
it gets its name from that distinct, aposematic
red coloration on the back of its abdomen.
As we know, the black widows in the States
have the hourglass shape beneath their abdomen.
And these spiders do have coloration on the
underside of their abdomen, but it certainly
is that big red spot on their backs that is
an immediate warning that I am venomous,
and you do not want to be bitten by me.
Look at that balance.
Such a cool-looking spider.
Now the bite of this spider does contain neurotoxic venom,
and it is much more potent than that of the black widow.
So you may be saying to yourselves,
"Coyote, aren't you going to free-handle this one?"
Honestly, guys, it probably would not bite me,
but it is not worth the risk.
Now if you are bitten by one of these spiders,
it's not likely to kill you, and they did develop
an anti-venom in the mid-50s that has helped
a lot of people overcome this bite.
Now this is a spider species that is very common,
especially in residential areas, and it is one of the
species that people are bitten by almost on a daily basis.
Close to 10,000 bites a year are reported in Australia.
If you are bitten by one of these arachnids,
I definitely suggest seeking medical attention,
but there are very few cases of adults
suffering negative affects other than
cramping of the stomach, headache,
nausea, vomiting, and intense pain near the bite area.
Now, depending on how much venom is injected
into the victim, a lot of times these spiders
will actually inflict what's considered a warning bite.
They can actually regulate how much
venom they pump into something.
Now, if it's a prey item, something like a moth
or a small other insect, they've been known to
even take things as large small lizards, what they will do
is actually flick out this thick
spider glue from their spinnerets.
They will let the prey get entangled in that webbing,
and then once it has sort of wrapped itself up,
they will strike forward several times,
inflicting various bites to parts of the victim's body.
Slowly, paralysis begins to set in, the victim dies,
and then they have their meal.
Now, similar to the black widow,
this species is cannibalistic,
and after the females have mated with the males,
they will kill the male and eat it.
The females have actually even
been known to eat their young.
This spider species has extremely small fangs.
And oftentimes when people are bitten,
they don't even know that a bite has occurred
until close to 15 minutes afterward,
when you experience this intense,
hot, radiating pain from the bite site.
Now, it will swell up and be red,
about the size of a silver dollar,
and that pain will continue to spread.
Now, one indication that you have been bitten by a redback
is intense sweating and goosebumps
actually on the appendage that has been bitten.
Now, this is one of the most common and widespread
spider species in all of Australia,
and the reason that so many people are bitten by the species
is because it is oftentimes found in residential areas,
anywhere that has debris, it could be tires, it could be
flat pieces of wood, it could be garbage near your trashcan.
If this spider has the opportunity to spin a web
and potentially catch prey, there's a good chance
there may be one in your backyard.
But remember, this is not a creature
you need to be afraid of.
These spiders have no interest in biting humans.
As you can see, all it's doing right now,
it's trying to get away from us
and back into the shade and shelter of its tire.
Well, you guys requested it, and sure enough,
we managed to get the Australian version of the black widow,
the redback, up close for the cameras.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave, stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
Alright, let's stack her tires back up,
and release her back into her home.
Alright, see you later.
The Australian outback is home to many potentially
dangerous animals and hails as having the most deadly snake
and spider species in the world.
If you were ever to come upon one of these creatures
in the wild, it is imperative that
you do not attempt to interact with it.
Always admire the animal from a safe distance
because your life could depend upon it.
(energetic music)
Hey, Coyote Pack, I have some exciting news.
I'm proud to announce that the crew and I
will be back on tour in 2018 with Brave Wilderness Live,
visiting cities all across North America.
Our first shows are in Anaheim and San Diego, California.
From there, we head to Phoenix, Arizona.
Beyond that, we will be visiting San Francisco, California;
Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington;
and Boulder, Colorado, with many more shows to be announced
in the coming months.
Tickets can be purchased at the Brave Wilderness website,
so make sure to reserve your seats today,
and don't forget, subscribe, so you can
join me and the crew on this season of Breaking Trail.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave!
- [Audience] Be wild!