SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Tarantulas are becoming more visible in Utah just in time for the Halloween season, but for wildlife experts, this time of year is anything but scary.
Utah has four species of tarantulas, one of which can be spotted as north as Cache Valley. Experts say they are always living amongst us, but from September to November the males begin to roam in search of a mate.
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“They’re just very reclusive and quiet, so we don’t see them very often, but in the fall that’s when the males are trying to find the females,” said Nicki Frey, Utah State University Extension professor in the Department of Wildland Resources.
Frey said the males wander about at all times of day in search of a mate — which is not common outside of mating season — leading to a phenomenon that some people refer to as a “tarantula migration.” This increases the chances that humans will come into contact with tarantulas.
During the mating season, Utahns may find themselves in close proximity to a tarantula — maybe closer than they’d wish. While the large, creepy spider is often a cause of fear or concern, Frey said it’s very rare to be bitten by a tarantula and their venom has only a mild effect on humans.
If a tarantula wanders onto a home or a garage, Frey said to put gloves on and carefully move them to a safe, shaded area “that won’t be in the human’s way.”
“We’ve definitely used [tarantulas] in Halloween and creepy movies that have just kind of perpetuated this idea that tarantulas are to be feared and they’re scary, but they’re really harmless. They’re not aggressive at all,” Frey said.
In fact, Frey called them “polite” spiders, mentioning that they knock on the web “door” of a female spider’s burrow to request permission to mate.
In Colorado, spider lovers flock to a small town to watch the tarantulas “emerge in droves,” according to the Associated Press. Utah doesn’t have a tarantula festival, but Frey said the local wildlife community celebrates the “tarantula migration” in its own way.
“Those of us that are interested in spiders get really excited by tarantula season. So it is not uncommon to have wildlife biologists and folks interested in spiders going out into the West Desert just to look for tarantulas,” she said.
Students often go on field trips to the region west of Cedar City in search of the spiders and biologists will go to the region to survey the population size.
“It’s great to be excited about them … but they are not meant to be pets. You need a permit to have one as a pet,” she said. “It’s best to just watch them, take photos, and leave them alone. They know where they need to go.”
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