This year, thousands of tarantulas are predicted to emerge in larger than average numbers throughout New Mexico than the past as male tarantulas leave their burrows, wandering to find a female to mate with.
In a statement to the Daily Lobo, Jerome Rovner with the American Arachnological Society wrote that tarantulas mating is an annual occurrence. This year, he said there is predicted to be a higher number of males due to wetter-than-usual weather.
“Wetter conditions provide more insect prey to eat and also make digging a burrow in the soil easier — both factors increase the ability for tarantulas to survive and show up in greater numbers than usual,” Rovner wrote.
Wade Harrell, owner and founder of the Santa Fe Reptile and Bug Museum wrote that breeding season for local tarantulas begins with the monsoon rains.
“They have a narrow window of time when the weather is agreeable and the females are receptive, if they time it wrong the females may eat them,” Harrell wrote.
Tarantulas hunt centipedes, millipedes, beetles and smaller spiders and they are prey to hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, snakes and tarantula hawk wasps, according to the National Park Service.
Rovner wrote that the tarantulas may be getting a bit more attention in the media this year due to the higher-than-usual population density.
According to the National Park Service, tarantulas have existed for more than 16 million years with 900 species across the world.
“There is nothing to fear from tarantulas. Despite their size, they do not have powerful enough venom to harm a person in a serious way. Their main defense is irritating hair called ‘urticating hair;’ they can flick off their abdomens toward a threat,” Harrell wrote.
Females may live 30 to 40 years, spending most of that time in their burrow, while males typically live less than a year after they reach maturity at 2-5 years because of the dangers of venturing out of their burrow to find a female.
Jillian Grandinetti is a sophomore biology student at the University of New Mexico performing research at the Museum of Southwestern Biology on Wolf Spiders.
“It’s just similar to the other semi-annual and annual insect patterns, like the monarch butterflies going down to Mexico, or cicadas that live underground for 17 years and emerge to mate,” Grandinetti said.
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The National Park Service advises kindness towards the tarantulas, letting them proceed on their mission to provide for future generations of tarantulas, according to their website.
“It’s not like (tarantulas) are coming out to get you or freak you out. It’s part of their life cycle, and it’s not an invasion, this is where they live and have always lived,” Grandinetti said.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
Paloma Chapa contributed reporting to this article.
Leila Chapa is the social media editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at socialmedia@dailylobo.com or on X @lchapa06
