It’s Tarantula Time
Right now, Colorado — more specifically, the southeastern Colorado town of La Junta — is smack dab in the middle of tarantula mating season, and it’s quite the spectacle. Despite often being called Colorado’s great annual “tarantula migration,” these little critters aren’t actually going anywhere. Rather, thousands of sexually mature male tarantulas leave their burrows for an elaborate mating ritual that includes them “knocking” at female tarantulas’ burrows looking for love, and often ends in the males being eaten by the females. Tarantula mating season typically lasts from late August through early October, with a peak in mid-September.
Plan A Tarantula-Viewing Trip
Visit La Junta offers these tips for tarantula tourists.
Spiders Closer To Home
The Denver Butterfly Pavilion conducts its own in-depth tarantula breeding, conservation, and education efforts. Also returning this month is the limited-time “Spiders Around the World” exhibit. Step into the 80-foot “Spider Zone” enclosure to get up-close and personal with dozens of free-roaming spiders representing species from more than 20 different countries!
