Tens of thousands of tarantulas<\/a> are starting to make their way above ground, in search of fuzzy love. But while that sounds like an arachnophobe\u2019s worst nightmare, scientists say it\u2019s not as scary as you might think. <\/p>\n The annual mating season for the world\u2019s largest spiders is already under way in the Southwest, as high spring temperatures and moisture drive the hungry creatures out of their underground burrows<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas is in full-flung mating season, the Austin American-Statesman<\/a> reports, with tarantulas popping up in South Texas grasslands and deserts. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of shocking to people that may have never experienced it because most have not seen a tarantula before \u2014 even if they have lived in that area most of their life (they\u2019re pretty secretive),\u201d University of Idaho Associate Professor Dr. Chris Hamilton told The Independent.<\/p>\n Starting in October and through November, California, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico can also expect an influx of eight-legged friends. In Colorado, where tarantulas are a major attraction<\/a>, the municipality of La Junta tells people to try to see them an hour before dusk<\/a> during mid-September to October around the Comanche National Grassland. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of tarantulas are expected to come out of their burrows, searching for a mate in the coming months (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n Sometimes people catch them trekking across roads and highways. \u201cWe\u2019ve counted as many as 50 [tarantulas] in an hour and a half. That\u2019s pretty substantial,\u201d Lyn Neve, a National Forest Service employee, told Denver 7<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n But while you might see a so-called \u201cclutter\u201d of tarantulas in these states, particularly near grasslands, it won\u2019t come close to the Fifties cult film \u201cTarantula.\u201d<\/a> which saw a house-sized arachnid terrorize an Arizona town.<\/p>\n Of the 29 tarantula species in the U.S., most only reach around 4.5 inches in diameter. And those who appear above ground are normally males as female tarantulas are \u201cbasically homebodies,\u201d says the National Park Service<\/a>. Males may live as many as 10 years, but females can live for up to a quarter of a century<\/a>. <\/p>\n For the males, the journey to find a mate is no picnic. While they typically only travel about a mile to a female\u2019s burrow in that time many are eaten by snakes, owls or foxes, or run over by cars. Others will die of exhaustion or the inability to shed their skin. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n To see the nocturnal predators, experts say people should head out at night in summer. In later months, people can see them before dusk (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me feel bad for the little dudes,\u201d Cristi Painter, a wildlife biologist with the National Forest Service, also told Denver 7. \u201cYou know, he just wants a girlfriend and hopefully one that doesn\u2019t eat him. And if she doesn\u2019t, he\u2019s going to die anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n If you do want to see the spiders, the best time to see them in summer is in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n But, just don\u2019t get too close: Tarantulas are not known to bite, but it doesn\u2019t mean that they can\u2019t. Their bite is comparable to a bee sting which usually only has a mild effect on humans, although some people may have a more severe allergic reaction<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Tens](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/iStock-2163337909.jpeg\")
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