# SURINAME 2012 : Tarantula photography field trip : M. Jacobi, Andrew Smith, G. Tansley, P. Carpenter



## Michael Jacobi (Jan 3, 2013)

*SURINAME 2012
*
*FINDING THE GOLIATH TARANTULA IN THE WILD*[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

*Dates*
November 16 - December 9, 2012

*Location: Suriname, South America *
*Week 1:* Northern coastal plain from Saramacca Distrikt to the west and Plantage Fredriksdorp in Commewijne Distrikt to the east based around the capital city of Paramaribo. 
*Weeks 2 & 3:* Primary and secondary rainforest of Brokopondo Distrikt from Babunhol in the north to Brownsweg, Brownsberg Nature Park, Danta Bai, Brokopondo and Afrobaka around the north and northwest of Brokopondo Reservoir.

*The Team*

Michael Jacobi - ExoticFauna.com & TARANTULAS.com - Seattle, WA USA
Guy Tansley - GiantSpiders.com & bugsnstuff.com - Newcastle, UK
Paul Carpenter - LifeInTheRainforest.co.uk - The Midlands, UK
& team leader Andrew Smith - lovetarantulas.com - London, UK

*The Mission*
Our goal, as always, was to locate as many of the country's tarantula spiders as possible and photograph them _in situ_ while studying their habits and habitat. We do not collect other than temporary capture for photographic purposes. We found everything we were seeking including the goliath tarantula _Theraphosa blondi_, _Avicularia _sp., _Ephebopus murinus_, _Tapinauchenius plumipes_ and what may be the first record of _Tapinauchenius gigas_ in Suriname & more! Other arachnids found and photographed included two of the most venomous creatures - the wandering spider _Phoneutria fera_ and the scorpion _Tityus paraensis_. Of course, a vast variety of insects and herps were also observed. Snakes found included the labaria or fer de lance _Bothrops atrox_ and the Amazon puffing snake _Pseustes sulphureus_; lizards found included the monkey lizard _Polychrus marmoratus_, turnip-tailed gecko _Thecadactylus rapicaudus_ and tegu _Tupinambis teguixin_; frogs and toads found included the three-striped poison frog _Amereega trivittata_, the harlequin toad _Atelopus hoogmoedi_ and the marbled treefrog _Dendropsophus marmoratus_. Amazing birds and mammals were also seen including parrots, monkeys and tapir, and bats, bats and more bats!

*The Images*
Over the past month I have posted a number of photos on my Michael Jacobi's Exotic Fauna Facebook page. Please LIKE and search my Timeline images. Five are also included in the banner at the top of this post. Many others have been posted to my personal Facebook and the Facebook pages of Guy Tansley and Andrew Smith. Soon I will launch a brand new gallery at ExoticFauna.com that will feature my Suriname portfolio. Watch here, my Facebook & Twitter and ExoticFauna.com for details!

*The Videos*
Yesterday my film "*Finding the Goliath Tarantula in the Wild*" debuted on YouTube. This 17 minute HD video shows the sweaty work of four veteran tarantula hunters finding the world's largest spider. Please view, click the like thumb and subscribe to my Exotic Fauna YouTube channel. I also have two short snake-oriented films from Suriname - one of me wrangling an eight-foot _Pseustes sulphureus_ from a rooftop at Brownsberg Nature Park and another of me moving the most dangerous snake of the Americas - the labaria or fer de lance _Bothrops atrox_ - off Guy Tansley's path above the Leo Val (waterfall) on a jungle trail at Brownsberg, and a fourth video that shows Guy Tansley stirring up a colony of bats we found in an abandoned building on a farm in Saramacca. My YouTube channel also has the trailer for my film of our 2006 field trip to Costa Rica, which can be found in its entirety at lovetarantulas.com.

*Finding the Goliath Tarantula in the Wild* (16:46 HD1080p)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJB3RQR40zA

*Pseustes sulphureus at Brownsberg* (2:18)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEDBXF92Ejc

*Labaria at Brownsberg* (1:14)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR3VeCbkOsA

*Saramaccan Bats* (1:07)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46BfzYtvclE

Reactions: Like 9


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## Storm76 (Jan 3, 2013)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.


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## RockinOutAmber (Jan 3, 2013)

So interesting! Thanks for sharing. I love seeing tarantulas in their natural habitat.


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## Michael Jacobi (Jan 4, 2013)

*Team Suriname 2012







(left to right) Guy Tansley | Michael Jacobi | Paul Carpenter | Andrew Smith*

---------- Post added 01-04-2013 at 09:02 AM ----------

Another image of the team. Note the _Avicularia _on the tree between myself and Andrew. This was the first of many found at this site.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Michael Jacobi (Jan 4, 2013)

OK, one big hairy spider image for here...  _Theraphosa blondi_, adult female _in situ_, Brownsberg Natuurpark, SURINAME

Reactions: Like 4


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## Michael Jacobi (Jan 6, 2013)

And one for the scorpionphiles ... _Tityus obscurus_ (= _T. paraensis_) from near Calcutta, Saramacca Distrikt, SURINAME







To view my 17 minute HD video "Finding the Goliath Tarantula in the Wild" click here.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Storm76 (Jan 7, 2013)

Did you get some Avic pictures during that trip? Would love to see them .


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## Michael Jacobi (Jan 7, 2013)

Of course. However, as I wrote I am featuring most photos on my Facebook pages and will debut a new gallery on my website. I have only posted a couple teaser images here.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Petross (Feb 2, 2013)

Thanks for sharing.


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## Michael Jacobi (Mar 16, 2013)

I did recently (finally) rework my website and include a new photography section that includes more images from this field trip. I still have many more to add, but you are invited to view the galleries at exoticfauna.com/photography.html


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## antinous (Apr 1, 2013)

Very nice photos! And I loved the video as well! So jealous of your trip there haha


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