Driving on a back road we saw something crossing and Shelley stopped the car. She thought it might be a big beetle but it turned out to be a large spider. I think it was a California tarantula.
I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car. I ran around and blocked its path so it wouldn't disappear into the ditch.
It was about 2 or 3 inches across. I got Shelley to put her foot near it to give an idea of scale. Understandably, she didn't want to get too close!
Tarantula spiders are mostly nocturnal so you don't often see them. But in the fall the mature males (7 to 10 years old) wander around looking for females. The males die soon after mating but the females can live up to 25 years.
They are not usually aggressive and even if they do bite it's like a bee sting.
I grabbed my camera and jumped out of the car. I ran around and blocked its path so it wouldn't disappear into the ditch.
It was about 2 or 3 inches across. I got Shelley to put her foot near it to give an idea of scale. Understandably, she didn't want to get too close!
Tarantula spiders are mostly nocturnal so you don't often see them. But in the fall the mature males (7 to 10 years old) wander around looking for females. The males die soon after mating but the females can live up to 25 years.
They are not usually aggressive and even if they do bite it's like a bee sting.
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