Tarantula Stops Flight Out of BWI

A traveling tarantula reportedly delayed a flight and placed a plane out of service this week at BWI.

The spider was among a shipment of insects in the cargo hold of a Delta plane that was bound for Atlanta Wednesday night, according to CNN.

An employee spotted a tarantula loose in the cargo hold while taking luggage off the plane before its departure, CNN reported.

Baggage handlers captured the “baboon tarantula” and verified with its owner that it was the only insect in the cage it had escaped, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Baboon tarantulas are known for being defensive with a tendency to hiss when irritated, and they may deliver a mildly venomous bite, according to arachnid experts.

While the travelingtarantuladidn’t make it out of the cargo area,The Sunreported passengers were told to clear the plane, which was put out of service for the night so it could be thoroughly searched.

Delta flight 1525, which usually leaves BWI at 7 p.m. and arrives in Atlanta around 8:30 p.m., took off at 10:18 p.m. and got to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport at 11:38 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Flight Aware.

The crew made the decision to switch planes “out of an abundance of caution,” a Delta spokesperson told channel 2 in Atlanta.

Pictured, baboon tarantula. Photo Credit: Flickr.