October is mating time for large harry terrestrial arachnids called tarantulas.
A good place to look for them is in oak woodlands and grasslands such as Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. Last Wednesday, along the Canyon Trail, a short distance south of the sag pond, my friend Don noticed one of these harry fellows along the trail. He picked up the spider and noticed that it was a male, probably on the prowl for a receptive female.
Tarantulas reside in silk-lined tubes in the ground. They ambush their prey, which usually consists of insects and other arthropods. They inject a venom to subdue their prey. The venom is not life threatening to humans.
There are hundreds of species of tarantulas in the world. This one reaches sexual maturity at seven years. Females lay 50 to 2,000 eggs.
Thank you for that information
ReplyDeleteJust saw one under siding my house in Felton, CA. I think it was a male being only the size of a silver dollar. Very cool spiders
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