Thousands of tarantulas are expected to roam across various rural and suburban communities within San Diego County, as these arachnids search for a mate during their annual mating season, stretching from August to September according to CBS 8.
Two specific species of tarantulas native to San Diego that are participating are the California Black Tarantula and the San Diego Bronze Tarantula. These fascinating creatures might be appearing significantly more often than usual in areas such as El Cajon, Ramona, and Poway NPR reports. While these eight-legged lovers are generally docile and can even be kept as pets, they are capable of biting and producing venom if they feel threatened according to CBS 8.
Last year, Fox 5 San Diego took an in-depth look at the tarantula sighting season, revealing that male tarantulas spend August roaming about looking for love. The males can be seen in urban neighborhoods, suburban areas, and rural locations, traveling great distances in their pursuit of a mate. They can even occasionally be found crossing streets, hiding in homes, or floating in pools. Not your everyday romantic, I must say.
Despite their intimidating appearance, these large spiders are "extraordinarily docile" and extremely unlikely to bite humans, as emphasized by Cypress Hansen, the Science Communications Manager at the San Diego Natural History Museum, in a Fox 5 San Diego article from 2022. Their venom is not potent enough to cause significant harm to humans, meaning that a tarantula bite might be painful.
During their last year or two of life, typically aged between five and seven years, the male tarantulas spend their time on the hunt for their mates. The female tarantulas, on the other hand, enjoy a longer lifespan, living and producing eggs for about 25 years or more. They create a silk cocoon in their home, lay their eggs (from 75 to 1,000!), and stand guard for six to nine weeks until the spiderlings hatch and venture off independently according to the San Diego Zoo.
