Clusters of tarantulas are popping out of the earth in Texas looking for love − an annual occurrence during the summer in the Lone Star State.
In what’s called “one of the most spectacular spider events in Texas,” by a Texas A&M field guide, male tarantulas exit their burrows to look for a female mate.
The spider mating takes place starting in May and runs through July.
According to the National Park Service, there are 14 identified tarantula species Texas with the most known being the Texas brown tarantula.
Here’s what we know about the large burrowing spiders:
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What do tarantula’s look like?
Tarantulas are easily identified by their large size and females can lay up to 1,000 eggs in their burrows, according to NPS officials.
Known as the heaviest spiders by weight, tarantulas have a body length of about 1 ½ inches, according to a Texas A&M field guide. Typically, their head, thorax and legs are dark brown and their abdomen is brownish black.
Their colors vary and changes after a molt.
In Texas, the university said, male tarantulas usually live seven to eight years, while females can live to age 25.
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How do tarantulas mate?
David Moellendorf, the store manager at ZooKeeper Exotics, told Texas TV station KTVU, male tarantulas live underground for five to seven years and after living underground for so long, molt their skin one last time and go out looking for love.
They “use chemo receptors on their feet, and they can taste,” Moellendorf told the Austin-based outlet. “And if there’s any silk or anything like that from a female around, the male is able to sense that. He will start looking in that area.”
After finding a partner and mating, females sometimes eats the father of their offspring for added protein “to create larger eggs.”
“The egg sac is retained in the burrow, guarded, and usually held by the female,” park service workers said. The eggs hatch within two months, and once they leave the egg sac, spiderlings may stay with the females for at least three days before dispersing.
What do Texas tarantulas eat
Tarantulas usually remain in their burrow waiting for prey to come by but “may move a few meters out to forage when necessary,” according to the university.
They feed on crickets, June beetles, ground beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas, and caterpillars.
Are tarantulas poisonous?
Texas tarantulas typically remain in their burrows, NPS officials said, and are not poisonous, but their bite is painful.
If disturbed, tarantulas maneuver to face the threat, raise up on their back legs and stretch out their front legs in a threatening defense, per DPS. They also have urticating hairs which are kicked off at the spiders’ attacker and can cause irritation if they come in contact with skin.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
