If you suffer from arachnophobia, stay away from the southern United States for a while. Why? Because much of the southwest, especially southern Colorado, is about to be inundated in swarms of tarantulas.
Yes, really.
Every year, swarms of Texas brown tarantulas (Aphonopelma hentzi) take advantage of the cooling temperature across the southern US to look for a mate. And 2024 shouldn't be much different, experts predict.
The fist-sized arachnids are commonly found across Texas and through New Mexico, with populations in Arizona's Sonoran desert.
Yet it's places like Colorado where the spiders really make their presence known.
Not that most people typically notice – curiously shy for an animal with such a fearsome reputation, they typically chill close to the ground in heavily sheltered spots, hunkering down in abandoned burrows by day only to emerge at night to dine on an insect or two or perhaps a small rodent.
It all makes you wonder why; but as it happens, we can spin the tale of the tarantula invasion. You could, of course, look this up on the web, but why, when we've already brought you the information here — without any bugs?
Back to the tarantulas. The reason for the big gathering, as is the reason for so many such gatherings of creatures, great and small, is simple, and I'm here to spin the tale for you. In a word: breeding.
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Yes, really.
Every year, swarms of Texas brown tarantulas (Aphonopelma hentzi) take advantage of the cooling temperature across the southern US to look for a mate. And 2024 shouldn't be much different, experts predict.
The fist-sized arachnids are commonly found across Texas and through New Mexico, with populations in Arizona's Sonoran desert.
Yet it's places like Colorado where the spiders really make their presence known.
Not that most people typically notice – curiously shy for an animal with such a fearsome reputation, they typically chill close to the ground in heavily sheltered spots, hunkering down in abandoned burrows by day only to emerge at night to dine on an insect or two or perhaps a small rodent.
It all makes you wonder why; but as it happens, we can spin the tale of the tarantula invasion. You could, of course, look this up on the web, but why, when we've already brought you the information here — without any bugs?
Back to the tarantulas. The reason for the big gathering, as is the reason for so many such gatherings of creatures, great and small, is simple, and I'm here to spin the tale for you. In a word: breeding.
More
