2 tarantulas joined passengers aboard flight to Canada

There are some things we all wish we could take back from a Caribbean vacation. Generally, those are things like sunshine, tan lines and tropical drinks. Not tarantulas.

On an Air Transat flight from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to Montreal, Canada on April 18, passengers "screamed and stood on their seats" when they spotted two tarantulas, between four and eight inches, crawling around the cabin, reported CBC News.

"Passengers who have seen the spiders were certainly surprised, but according to our flight report, they reacted calmly," a spokesperson for Air Transat told Mashable. The airline did not have confirmation of the species.

There is no word on the fate of the two spiders.

Julie Roberts, vice-president of the airline's flight attendant union, told CBC News that flight attendants tried to calm passengers down and told them to cover their legs, and one man who reported a spider crawling up his leg received first aid.

 One of the spiders was captured by a passenger. The other roamed the cabin until it was apprehended by a federal agent at Trudeau Airport in Montreal.

There is no word on the fate of the two spiders.

According to an entomologist at Université de Montréal who spoke to CBC, "the market for live tarantulas is very lucrative" and the spiders may have been hidden in a passenger's luggage to be sold.

However, the Haitian Brown Tarantula, a common species in the Dominican Republic and potential breed on board, retails for around $30.

"Our cabin crew are trained to ensure the safety of our passengers at all times," Air Transat said. "In the case at hand, which is an unusual and isolated event, our staff reacted promptly and efficiently."

Last September, a tarantula boarded and delayed a Delta flight from Baltimore.

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.