The Tarantula Dating Game 2013?! Apparently it’s something to watch if you live in California, according to The Huffington Post and CBS news. It’s mating season for the large and furry spiders. Male spiders will leave their cozy, warm home underground to choose and copulate with a female partner, but watch out male spiders – if your girl is hungry you may lose your head in the process. Isn’t nature sexy and fun? They usually feast on other insects, but have been known to take a bite out of lizards, birds, mice, and even snakes. Note to male tarantulas everywhere who don’t have a death wish – buy your girlfriend romantic dinner before climbing on top of her.
The dating habit of male tarantulas is a little strange. They carry their sperm on the outside of their bodies. They weave a “sperm web,” and carry it with them to the lucky lady spider of their choice. So if you’re taking a walk and happen to see a tarantula crawling around, just leave him alone – he’s only looking for some baby-making lovin’.
It is common for people to keep the creatures as pets and tarantulas are mostly harmless. They have pretty big fangs, but they won’t bite if not provoked. They may appear creepy and are used again and again in Hollywood movies because of their friendly nature, but they mostly keep to themselves, except during mating season, of course.
Tarantulas carry venom in their bite, but there have been no human fatalities. They usually rear up before they attack so when faced with that type of situation it’s best to just leave them alone. Some species even let out a hissing sound, which is a more solid warning not bother them. Use common sense people.
Male tarantulas are smaller than females and when mating they hold down the female’s fangs. Guys, make sure that dinner is extra special or you’ll feel it later. The females of the species also live longer; they can live up to thirty or forty years, existing on a water diet for two years. Female tarantulas produce fifty to two thousand eggs contained in a silk egg sac. They will stay close to their developing offspring and will show aggressive behavior to protect their babies. Once hatched the baby spiders will spend some time in the nest before going out on their own and of course, the cycle continues.
Image Credit: tarantulas.tropica.ru & The Huffington Post