The end of summer in southeastern Colorado brings about a spectacle that isn’t for everybody.
Near La Junta, thousands of tarantulas will be marching across the grasslands in search of mates.
The fuzzy little Romeos won’t see the children grow up. They might not even make it back out of their mates’ burrows, as female tarantulas have been known to make a snack of their mates. But the undeniable biological urge will drive them above ground in search of a partner.
Around the country, tarantula mating season can start as early as May, but tarantulas in Colorado — most commonly Oklahoma brown tarantulas — get a slightly later start.
When is tarantula mating season in Colorado?
Tarantula mating season usually starts in late August and can run into late October, but September is the peak of the season. The first dose of colder temperatures usually gives male tarantulas the nudge they need to go look for a mate before it is too late.
Where are you likely to se tarantulas in the wild?
Southern Colorado is home to tarantulas, and the epicenter of activity is near La Junta in the southeastern portion of the state. The city encourages people to come check out the “tarantula trek” across the more than 440,000 acres of the Comanche National Grassland each fall.
How can you watch tarantulas look for mates?
The males typically come out of hiding in the hour before sunset, surging across the grasslands (and the road) in search of love. Female tarantulas wait at their burrows for their suitors.
La Junta will host its annual Tarantula Fest on Sept. 26-27, although its guided tours to see the tarantulas are full.
Are tarantulas dangerous?
Not typically to people.
Unless you are allergic, their venom should not be harmful to humans. Bites should still be immediately cleaned to avoid infection. The hairs on their bodies can also be irritating, so you should clean any clothing or belongings that they might come into contact with.
What should you do if you come across a tarantula?
Leave it alone.
Picking up and handling a tarantula in the wild can delay its chance to find a mate (or avoid predators). Let it go and watch your step because odds are thousands of their friends are heading in the same direction.
If you want to point a tarantula in another direction, find a stick and give it a “light tickle” on its abdomen to get it to move away
“Just give it a light boop on the base of its abdomen and generally they’ll move in that direction,” Dan McCamish, a senior environmental scientist with California State Parks, told USA TODAY.
USA TODAY reporter Elizabeth Weise contributed to this report.
Nate Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Why hordes of tarantulas are seen in Colorado each year