Love is in the air on the Colorado plains, but it’s not just romance; it’s tarantula mating season. This is the time when male spiders make their way out of their burrows in search of a mate, and hundreds of spider enthusiasts converge on the small farming town of La Junta to witness this natural spectacle.
Scientists, spider aficionados, and curious families from across Colorado packed into buses just before dusk last weekend to catch sight of tarantulas roaming the dry, rolling plains. Equipped with flashlights and car headlights, they scanned the area for these eight-legged creatures as night fell.
Back in town, the festivities were in full swing. Visitors participated in a hairy leg contest, with this year’s winner being a woman, and paraded vintage cars adorned with giant spider replicas. The cult classic film “Arachnophobia,” which tells the story of a small town swarmed by spiders, was shown at the historic Fox Theater, adding to the unique atmosphere.
For La Junta residents, tarantulas aren’t the horrifying creatures often portrayed in movies. Instead, they are a vital part of the local ecosystem and a significant attraction, drawing visitors from across the United States who might otherwise never set foot in this tight-knit southeastern Colorado town.
Residents quickly spread the word about the new faces they encountered during the festival’s third year. Among the visitors was Nathan Villareal, a tarantula breeder from Santa Monica, California. Fascinated by tarantulas since childhood, he sells them as pets nationwide and couldn’t resist witnessing the mating season in person.
The “Colorado Brown” tarantulas, the most common species in the La Junta area, burrow in the largely undisturbed prairies of the Comanche National Grassland. During September and October, mature males venture out in search of a female’s burrow, typically marked with silk webbing. The prime viewing time is just before dusk when the daytime heat starts to wane.
“We saw at least a dozen tarantulas on the road, and then we went back afterwards and saw another dozen more,” Villareal recounted.
Male tarantulas take approximately seven years to reach reproductive maturity, after which they dedicate their remaining life to seeking a mate, said Cara Shillington, a biology professor at Eastern Michigan University who specializes in arachnids. Males live for about a year after reaching sexual maturity, whereas females can live for 20 years or more.
The males, growing up to 5 inches long, use a pair of appendages on their heads to drum outside the female’s burrow. If the female is receptive, she will surface, and the male will hook his legs onto her fangs. Their quick coupling is followed by the male’s hasty retreat to avoid being eaten by the female, who, slightly larger, requires additional nutrients for her pregnancy.
Shillington, like many festival attendees, is dedicated to dispelling the fears surrounding tarantulas and other spiders. She explained that tarantulas in North America are generally docile. Their venom isn’t harmful to humans but can cause pain and irritation.
“When you encounter them, they’re more afraid of you,” Shillington explained. “Tarantulas only bite out of fear. This is the only way they have to protect themselves, and if you don’t put them in a situation where they feel they have to bite, then there is no reason to fear them.”
Many children at the festival discovered that spiders aren’t as terrifying as they thought. Roslyn Gonzales, 13, eagerly anticipated the sunset tarantula search.
For graduate student Goran Shikak, whose arm is covered with spider tattoos, the festival is a cherished opportunity to celebrate these fascinating creatures with like-minded individuals.
“They’re beautiful creatures,” said Shikak, an arachnology student at the University of Colorado Denver. “And getting to watch them do what they do is a joy and experience that’s worth watching in the wild.”