It’s a crisp evening in the rugged mountains of Los Angeles after the first rains of fall.
This is the night of the amorous tarantula – and it’s full of danger.
Every year, male tarantulas emerge from their burrows in search of a mate. Finding out can be deadly, whether she’s in the mood or not. Females are known to snack on suitors.
“If the female is not receptive, it’s better to run away,” said Rodrigo Monjaras Ruedas, assistant curator of entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. “Even if the female is receptive and mates, the male has to be very quick and sneaky after mating, because otherwise the female may eat him too.”
October is typically the prime breeding month for the giant hairy spiders in California. Natural cues are key, and the first rains of autumn generally trigger the march. Experts suspect that the male is tracking the pheromones of the crouching female.
Spiders live year-round in areas like the Angeles National Forest and the Santa Monica Mountains, but your best chance to spot them is when the males are on the move. Held from July to November, the best time to look for the eight-legged creatures is at night, right after a rain.
All is fair in love and war
A tarantula’s act of love begins with a courtship ritual. It may require a man, and if she is receptive, she will respond in kind.
Due to the dangers involved, male tarantulas use a hook-like structure on their first leg to hold the female during mating, Monjaraz-Ruedas said. Another appendage called the pedipalp is used for the movement of sperm.
A single act can produce hundreds of baby tarantulas (called cuddly spiderlings), many of which won’t survive in the wild.
Meet the local spiders
There are 10 species of tarantulas roaming the Golden State, at least two of which can be found in Los Angeles County.
The most common variety in this county is the California ebony tarantula, or Aphonoperma ethylenumwhich ranges in color from light beige to exactly what its name suggests. Females can reach up to 5 inches with their legs spread.
There are also desert dwellings. Aphonoperma iodiuscommonly seen in the Mojave.
California is home to more than 1,300 species of spiders, and about 40% of the nation’s spiders live in the state. As Monjaras-Ruedas says, “There are many species.”
What about those fangs?
Flip the tarantula over, belly up, to reveal its large fangs.
Like tarantulas, they are venomous. They use it to eat. However, Monjaraz-Ruedas said it did not pose a threat to humans, likening it to the strength of bee venom.
Frightened tarantulas typically run and try to hide, said Lisa Gonzalez, program manager for the invertebrate collection at the county museum of natural history.
“They’re actually not very biting animals,” she said. “I can say this with confidence because I have been working with spiders since I was a child.”
But there is another defense mechanism. Spiders can brush off the irritating hairs from the underside of their abdomens. The hairs feel like fiberglass or the microscopic spines of a cactus.
The museum’s tarantula, named Octopus, was recently brought in for educational purposes and began this behavior after posing playfully for the camera for a while.
In contrast, some parts of the tarantula resemble the fur of a sable.
“She’s as soft as a kitten,” Gonzalez said.
Pitfalls of city life
Monjaraz-Ruedas said urbanization poses a danger to local tarantulas during mating season. While searching for a mate, males may drown in backyard pools or become flattened on busy roads.
“But generally the mountains are a good habitat for them, so they can survive very well in that area,” he said.
Want to see the real thing?
Tarantulas can be seen in the wild or, for now, in natural history museums.
Through November, the museum has a ticketed outdoor exhibit where visitors can walk among hundreds of spiders known as orbweavers and their intricate webs. There are also enclosed habitats where species such as tarantulas live.
