Fall tarantula migration begins across southern Colorado

SOUTHERN COLORADO, (KRDO)-- Creepy crawlers are making their way across southern Colorado; just in time for Halloween. Colorado Parks and Wildlife shared on twitter that this time of year thousands of tarantulas take to dirt roads looking for a mate. Providing quite the spectacle in places like Ignacio.

Colorado is home to five different species of tarantula, according to CPW, and all of them are found exclusively in southern Colorado. Most of the year the spiders are difficult to spot, but this time of year they come out of their protective burrows in search of a mate. CPW School Programs Coordinator, Erin Kendall said La Junta is a particularly good place to spot the Oklahoma Brown Tarantula.

The "migration" period, isn't really a migration at all. Kendall calls this the spider's "walk-about time," because the male tarantulas stay in the same area while they search for females for mating season.

If you would like to see tarantulas out in the wild, CPW has a few tips to share.

• Research the tarantula habitat before hand
• Search in bushes or on roads for the best chance at spotting one
• Respectfully observe the spider, take a photo, but DON'T try to handle it.

If the hairy, eight-legged creatures are still making your skin crawl, consider this: spiders eat an estimated combined total of more than 800 million tons of insects every year! Spiders' silk they use to craft their webs is also being researched for uses in engineering, and their venom could have a hand in medical advancements, in conditions like stroke and pain relief.

"By better understanding spiders we can appreciate the balance they maintain for ecosystems and the benefits they provide for human medicine and scientific research. Conservation starts small."

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

To learn more about spiders in our state check out the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, CO or the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS).