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Tarantulas roam New Mexico in search of mates as migration season gets underway

Male tarantulas have begun roaming New Mexico through October in search of mates, driven by a biological imperative to reproduce at the end of their lives.
"They get to the point where they don't want food. And then they just roam and roam and roam until they find their female mate," said Dylan Mueller, owner of Predator and Prey Exotics.
"Females will put pheromones on their burrows and then males will walk up when they sense the pheromones, and they start tapping on the web, which brings the female out," Mueller said.
Successful mating creates more tarantulas that consume household pests like mice and roaches. However, Mueller noted, "A lot of times, the female will eat them" after mating concludes.
Experts note tarantulas are highly adaptable and most active at dusk and dawn. Hiker Joel Croft in the Sandia Foothills echoed that "tarantulas are as scared of humans as humans are of them.

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