Spider phobics, look away now! Thousands of tarantulas will crawl through Colorado as the annual spider mating season begins
- Between late August and early October, male tarantulas undertake a mating migration across southeastern Colorado
- The adult male spiders are in search of adult females to breed with before they die before winter
- Every year, enthusiasts come out to watch the spiders as they travel through parts of the Colorado grasslands
In a few weeks, flocks of tarantulas will start crawling through southeastern Colorado for mating season.
Tarantulas are generally found in the southwestern United States, including southern Colorado, where a few enthusiasts drop by each year to watch adult male tarantulas migrating or “mate-seeking.”
Although the annual episode is sometimes colloquially referred to as migration, in reality the tarantulas are looking for mates.
When male tarantulas, which are about five inches tall, reach maturity, which is between the ages of eight and 10, they begin looking for a mate. The hike usually takes place between late August and early October.
Males sometimes travel up to 20 miles in search of an adult female to mate with. Males often travel in groups in search.
Each year in late summer, male tarantulas embark on their mating hunt, which involves migrating up to 20 miles (32 km) in search of a female tarantula to breed with
The trek passes through parts of the American Southwest, including a small corner of the Southeastern Territory of Colorado
When a male finds an ideal spider female to mate with, he performs a courtship dance in which he taps the female’s web with his legs.
If receptive, she may return the drumming.
Once a female tarantula has successfully fertilized, she forms an egg sac the size of a golf ball in which she lays her eggs.
She then protects the egg sac from predators until possibly hundreds of tiny spiders hatch.
After mating, males typically die relatively quickly. Threats include predators, cars, and a general lack of interest in eating. In some cases, the female spider may eat the male.
Female tarantulas have a typical lifespan of around 20 to 25 years.
In some cases, tarantula hawks — the largest wasp in the US — inject the spiders with paralyzing venom and draw them back into a burrow.
The wasp, always a female ready to lay eggs, then stuffs the paralyzed tarantula into the burrow’s hole and lays her eggs on top of the paralyzed spider.
When the eggs hatch a few days later, the larvae feed on the surviving tarantula.
Every year, enthusiasts come out to watch the male tarantulas on their mating spree
The male tarantulas usually die not long after mating
Tarantulas are most active in the afternoon, especially in the last hour before sunset
Sara Stevens, director of the Butterfly Pavilion in Colorado – America’s first non-profit insect zoo – told a local outlet where she thinks people can watch the tarantulas as they migrate.
Stevens said Highway 109 on the Comanche Nation Grassland is a good vantage point, as is parts of La Junta, where the La Junta Tarantula Fest is held.
The mate-gration has clearly become an integral part of La Junta’s urban identity, as the festival includes a parade, vendors, and tarantula tours, among others.
Comanche National Grassland, just off the state’s southeastern tip, is one state grassland that Stevens says typically has a higher concentration of tarantulas.
Tarantulas are most active in the afternoon, especially in the last hour before sunset.
They are not poisonous to humans, but bites can be painful.