If you've spotted a big, hairy spider strolling across your driveway or a hiking trail lately, don't panic. He's not lost, and he's not coming for you.
He's looking for a date.
Late summer and fall is tarantula season in Arizona. Our local species, the desert blonde tarantula, spends almost its entire life in a burrow. But once the males reach maturity, they leave home and wander the desert searching for a female. That's why nearly every tarantula you see out in the open this time of year is a male.
A few things you may not know about our eight-legged neighbors:
- They can reach a leg span of about 5 inches, with females usually larger than males.
- Both males and females take about 8 to 10 years to mature. That's a long time to wait for your first date.
- Females can live 20 years or more, and some in captivity have lived past 25. Males usually die within a couple of years of maturing.
- The female may try to eat the male after mating. So yes, his big romantic journey can end with him becoming dinner.
- Females lay up to 100 eggs, but fewer than 5% of the babies survive to adulthood.
- They have eight eyes but poor eyesight, and rely mostly on feeling vibrations.
Despite their scary reputation, desert tarantulas are not dangerous to people. They're shy, rarely bite, and a bite is usually compared to a bee sting. Their favorite defense is actually flicking tiny irritating hairs off their abdomen. Still, it's best to admire them from a distance and keep curious pets away.
So if you see one crossing the road this month, give him a little space. He's been waiting about ten years for this, and honestly, things aren't going to end well for him anyway.
Have a great afternoon,
Joy, Jen, Kim, Kathy, Coloradas, Maxfield, Dr Shriner and Dr Ring
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