I think it's fair to say that practically everyone is afraid of spiders to some extent. Sure, this fear might vary in intensity, but the vast majority of us simply can't stand the creepy, eight-legged creatures. And even the tiniest, least threatening spiders give us the creeps - so imagine how distressed you would be to come across a giant spider, scuttling in your direction. Well, chilling footage has emerged of just that. The video shows an absolute beast of a spider crawling suddenly toward a group of stunned tourists in the Dominican Republic. This is the alarming moment a huge spider emerges, seemingly out of nowhere, to the horror of a group of petrified tourists: [[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/tM6GeYU9-Q0L14jDU.mp4||tM6GeYU9]] "Oh my god! It's coming back with a vengeance," a terrified female voice can be heard at the start of the video. When the large arachnid emerges from the grass, the same female voice is heard shouting "Oh my god!" followed by an expletive. She then repeats the words, "don't move" before screaming when the spider does, indeed, move. The unsettling clip was filmed in the Cruce De Rio Verde and the individual who posted it later explained that they were unable to take themselves out of the harrowing situation because a car in front of theirs had broken down. "The car in front hand broken down, we were strapped in and couldn't move!!!" the poster wrote online. <img class="wp-image-12502419 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2019/03/131d4270-gettyimages-709134289-1551477366.jpg" alt="A sinister-looking spider" width="900" height="507" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: Getty]] Spiders are hardly a rare sighting in the Caribbean nation. In fact, there is an entire thread on <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g147293-i28-k1552742-Huge_spiders-Punta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Dominican_Republic.html">TripAdvisor</a> in which those who have visited the country share their knowledge on the country's spider population. "There is a native tarantula-like spider in the DR called a 'cacata', but it is quite timid and tends to stay hidden from human eyes unless you start poking around rotting tree stumps or overturning rocks," one <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Profile/Gregg?tab=forum">user</a> writes. "They are not poisonous but the bite can be painful. In almost 20 trips to the DR I have yet to see one, but then I don't seek them out in sugar cane fields and in the camps." "There is also a fairly large centipede which has a painful bite and a variety or two of small scorpion," the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Profile/Wud2?tab=forum">user</a> continues. "All are extremely rare unless you look for them and are very, very rare in tourist areas." "As people have said many times before these creatures were there well before mass tourism started - it is their homeland," <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Profile/flipflop_man?tab=forum">another</a> explains. "There are no poisonous spiders or snakes in the DR. Spiders are likely more frightened of you," a third user reassuringly adds.

Terrifying moment giant spider rushes towards tourists in the Dominican Republic

Top Stories

Animals

Man who spent $15,000 to ‘become a dog’ shares devastation after other dogs didn't treat him 'as an equal'

Animals

Phillies fan refused entry to game after trying to bring his 'emotional support' alligator

Animals

Cat owner 'never going on vacation again' after seeing heartbreaking footage on his pet cam

Animals

Couple get $1400 refund after being stuck next to 'farting dog' on 13-hour flight

Animals

Missing toddler, 2, found in the woods using her faithful pet dog as a pillow

Animals

Couple left heartbroken after trainer allegedly hid their dog's death from them while on honeymoon