LA JUNTA, Colo. — Out on the eastern plains, as the sun dips behind the Rocky Mountains and the temperature begins to drop, Colorado's tarantulas will creep out of their burrows in search of a mate — an annual affair sometimes called a tarantula "migration."
While it's not exactly a classic love story, every fall, these animals lure in arachnid aficionados from near and far to witness the spectacle in person.
First, it's important to understand what this "migration" really is — and why we say it in quotes. It's not quite accurate to call tarantulas' movements a migration, as they are just more visible than other times of the year. They actually live in Colorado year-round.
This all begins in early September, when male tarantulas in the southern and southeastern region of the state leave the safety of their burrows to search for females, which stay hidden in their own underground holes. Because they can travel as far as a kilometer, they are much more visible during this time of year. This "migration" will continue until hard freezes begin, which is typically by the end of October or early November.
When a male finds a female’s burrow, they drum their legs at the entrance and wait for the female to come out to breed. The female may accept the male as a mate. Or she may reject him and eat him. And sometimes, they do both, an entomologist with the College of Agricultural Sciences’ Department of Agricultural Biology told Denver7 during an interview in 2022. The males don't live long after mating, if they survive the encounter. Death by predator, car or starvation — or rather, lack of interest in eating anything — typically follows.
These tarantulas live across the eastern plains, but mainly the southeastern region. "Mini" tarantulas also live on the western side of the state in areas like Montezuma, Montrose, and San Miguel, according to Colorado State University's College of Cultural Sciences. All of the tarantulas that call Colorado home fall under the genus Aphonopelma, and they're all brown to camouflage into their environment.
Male tarantulas are sexually mature once they reach about 7 years old, and can live for about a decade. Females can live well beyond that — up to 40 years.
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The City of La Junta shared responsible viewing tips and education tidbits on its website here.
Pamela Denahy, director of tourism and economic development for the City of La Junta, spoke to Denver7 about the tarantula "migration" and the Tarantula Fest in downtown La Junta earlier this fall.
"It's quite a unique phenomena that we have down here," Denahy said. "We have 400,000 acres of land on the Comanche National Grassland, which is ripe for viewing of the tarantulas. So it's just a great, perfect way to come and see the tarantulas in their natural habitat... We've been working with researchers that have taught us so much about the tarantulas that we didn't know."
The city's tourism board began brainstorming so-called "tarantula tourism" in 2018, with a focus on "responsible and respectful visitation" and education, she said. Four years ago, they decided to hold a festival to provide a destination for the growing interest in Colorado and beyond.
That now includes small tours the city has offered (which fill up quickly each year, Denahy said), a parade, an educational pavilion and vendors.
"We work really hard to talk about the responsible and respectable tarantula viewing," she said. "So, we encourage people to plan ahead for safe viewing and to make sure that they're understanding that the tarantulas might be crossing highways. There still are highways out here, so don't stop in the middle of the road to look at the tarantulas."
She also warned visitors not to trespass onto private property or hop fences while searching for tarantulas.
"View with care," she continued. "We don't want people to pick up the tarantulas. They're beautiful creatures. We want everyone to let them be in their natural habitat."
The community has rallied alongside the city, welcoming visitors and boasting tarantula-related specials on restaurant menus, she said.
