tarantula migration

I woke up one morning this week thinking about tarantulas, and it wasn’t just because Halloween is approaching.  Actually, I was reflecting back to another part of our journey from Michigan to California. 

Leaving La Junta, Colorado in the southeastern part of the state, we traveled west on Highway 109 toward the Rocky Mountains.  I began to notice that every so often there was a lone tarantula in the middle of the road.  I’ve traveled through Colorado before.  Why had I never seen this?  Apparently, I had previously been too far to the north.

This is part of an annual ritual in September and October:  male tarantulas on the move, trying to find a mate…a suicidal mission in more ways than one.  First, they need to make it across the highway.  Surviving that, they can mate, but are then likely to be eaten by the female tarantula. 

In spite of the female’s murderous tendencies, the people of eastern Colorado love their tarantulas, even building tarantula crossings, small tunnels under the highway to aid their safe passing.  It feels a bit like assisted suicide, but at least they will die happy?  More importantly, they will die leaving enough progeny to replace themselves.

Wildlife bridges and tunnels beg the question, how much should we intervene on behalf of animals?  Earlier this summer, I saw a turtle laying eggs right next to a parking lot.  I phoned my sister who is a volunteer at a wildlife rescue and asked if I should call for someone to set up a perimeter around the spot.  She advised me to leave it alone—that the turtle knew what it was doing and would bury the eggs deeply enough.  Just as she predicted, the ground looked completely undisturbed when I walked by it later.  I couldn’t even see any sign of the earth being moved.

I admire the efforts of those Coloradans who love their tarantulas.  After all, it isn’t the tarantulas’ fault that humans built a highway right across their migration route.  When human interference in the natural habitat is a factor, human intervention to put it right is appropriate.  That is why efforts to ameliorate the effects of climate change are so important.  As we humans adversely affect the environment, we should make an effort to stop the destruction in any way we can.  It’s only fair to the animals with whom we share this beautiful planet, and to the children who come after us.

Love, Liz

photo by christian murdock