Saw my 1st tarantula today, 1st one in almost 2 years. I guess they are more numerous in coastal regions?
This one was palm sized, moved suprisingly quickly!
Bob H - 10-3-2009 at 12:50 PM
Nice shot! Good look'n spider... had one on my back patio a few months back... my dog had killed it and left it laying there. Nice, big, black
tarantula, here in San Diego.
Bob HBajaWarrior - 10-3-2009 at 02:04 PM
Thinking back some 20 years ago in early November traveling on the road from Hwy. 1 to Bahia de los Angeles we witnessed literally thousands of
Tarantulas migrating and actually crossing the road beneath our truck tires. And it seems each time I find a Tarantula near my home in Baja it is in
the fall...
Edit for: I like the referance to John Entwistle's (The Who) song titled "Boris the Spider"
[Edited on 10-3-2009 by BajaWarrior]Mulegena - 10-3-2009 at 04:38 PM
Tarantulas are great, aren't they?
However, I don' like 'em in my bed as happened 2 weeks ago. I've stopped leaving the screen door cracked for my cat since that incident. I'd have
hated if I'd accidentally hurt that poor spider.
Tarantulas can live up to 20 years and are complex enough to need genetic diversity. The ladies usually stay in their burrow and are visited by
various gentlemen callers throughout their subterranean lives. When you see tarantulas on the move, we know that autumn is here; its those Don Juans
looking for a new winter abode and a new ladyfriend.bacquito - 10-3-2009 at 05:27 PM
great photo and interesting comments. My younger son had one for a pet for some time.HaciendaCerritos - 10-3-2009 at 06:15 PM
I used to be TERRIFIED of any spider. I would hurt myself getting away from them! All my life I was that way.
2 years ago I was literally face to face with the biggest wolf spider I had ever seen in my life and I just looked at it and said: I am sick and tired
of being scared of you! I refuse to be scared of you ever again. I then grabbed my camera, took a picture of it and it immediately disappeared and I
never saw it again. Now when I see one, I just smile at it and am very relieved that I am no longer hurting myself over them.bajafam - 10-3-2009 at 07:07 PM
Gorgeous creature!!! We get them a lot here in Northeastern Arizona, though I haven't seen any in a couple of years. Seems males are very particular
when it comes to mating and will wait years for the weather conditions to be just right and then they perform the mass migration in search of a
partner. I have witnessed one of these migrations, and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing the picture - we are hoping that this year is THE year!!oladulce - 10-3-2009 at 10:09 PM
Interesting to read other people's tarantula stories- especially the mass migration ones. We observed the same freaky thing about 18 yrs ago and have
never seen anything like it , or heard similar stories since then.
It was dusk along the stretch of hwy between La Paz and Todos Santos in hot and muggy Sept. We were in our pre-air conditioning F250 with the windows
down trying to generate a little breeze after a long day of driving.
Long shadows from the cardones lined each side of the hwy and up ahead the asphalt looked like it was moving. As we got closer, the giant black blur
extended from one side of the road and appeared to be moving across to the other side.
What the heck? And then crunch, crunch, crunch- a terrible sound. By the time we figured out that it was a massive movement of tarantulas, we were
already in the midst of them. We slowed down but couldn't really stop in the road and every square inch of ground on the roadsides was covered by
spiders so we plugged along.
No exaggeration, it was some instinctual calling and it stretched as far as we could see down the highway. We both followed our instinctual calling
and quickly rolled up our windows, which is pretty silly in retrospect.
It reminded me of footage I've seen of the red crabs of Christmas island who live in the forest but once a year march down to the beaches to lay eggs
at the ocean's edge. They number in the thousands and nothing will stop them when they get the urge to go to the beach. There are road sign with "crab
crossing" warnings and People with pile-ups of crabs on their porch will open their front door, and let the crabs pass thru out the back door.
Occationally they have to shoo a lost crab out of the bathroom.
I think tarantuals are cool but I would not want to have to shoo one out of my bed Mulegena.
A Baja Bedtime Story - Part 1
Mulegena - 10-3-2009 at 11:51 PM
What a story, Oladulce. Yours is the best description of the migration I've ever heard-- great visuals! I'd love to see it.
Has anybody done a documentary? Never heard?
Hitchc-ck would have fun with your screenplay!
"The scene: A beautiful woman sits at her dressing table brushing her long hair (she's blond-- Hitchc-ck, right?)cascading onto her white satin
negligee. The bedroom curtains billow in the hot, sultry summer night winds through the open windows and door onto the garden. The banana plants
rustle in the night air which hangs heavy with the fragrant scent of frangipani.
The blond stands, walks across her tiled floor to her bed, its white satin sheets turned back to receive her. She hears a further rustling sound from
outside. She stop, listens, then takes a few steps to the open door to the garden. She stands in the doorway peers out and asks quietly, "Is anyone
there?" into the night. The wind again rustles the banana leaves. She breathes deeply, looks out again, then returns to her bed and gently slides in,
taking pleasure in the cool smoothness of satin upon her creamy white skin.
She smiles, then reaches up and turns off her bedside lamp.
From far off in the arroyos she hears the yap and barking of a pack of coyote as they roam the hills in search of prey.
Sometime later she is awakened when ... "
Your turn, Nomads; let's have some fun with this.woody with a view - 10-4-2009 at 07:08 AM
here in OB the spiders in the yard are building BIG webs and seem to be getting ready to birth the little spiders. we got a quarter sized orange,
black and white one now. in a month or so there will be little ones in their own webs EVERYWHERE. with the clock change coming and darkness on the way
to work AND coming home, can you say, "face spiders?"
you know, that great sensation you get when you walk face first into a web at night!
Always use a flashlight on late summer evenings
oladulce - 10-4-2009 at 07:49 AM
A night time patio visitor (and a shark's tooth)
A Red Crab knocking on the door in Nicaragua, looking for the beach
durrelllrobert - 10-4-2009 at 08:53 AM
Trantulas got a bad rap when supposedly, several hiding a bunch of bannanas bit the crew of a sailing vessle and started the NEVER BRING A BANNANA ON
A BOAT rule
Derns Story
Paulina - 10-4-2009 at 09:24 AM
This is Dern typing here.
About nine years ago I was camping at Scorpion Bay on the 7th or 9th point, (can't remember exactly). It was early Nov. The crew that I was with all
had camper shells and the like. I was stuck to sleeping on the ground with my dog Cora. It was a full moon and very cold that night. We had a fire and
cooked diner. As the night progressed I stoked the fire and then curled up as close as I could to it without burning my sleeping bag and went to
sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night I woke up because Cora, who was sleeping in my bag with me, wanted out. I was sleeping on my side and as I focused
my eyes in the moonlight, I saw this weird rock looking thing about four inches from my mouth. I grabbed my mag-light and shined it on the rock. To my
surprise it wasn't a rock, but a big tarantula. Talk about getting your attention!
Best I could figure was that it was trying to stay warm from my breath. I tried to shoo it off because I didn't want to hurt him. I repeatedly took
it away from where I was sleeping, but it kept coming back, over and over. Unfortunately, I had to put it out of it's misery so I could finally get
some sleep.
I felt bad but what do you do? I'm sure I'll get flack for killing the poor spider but that was the situation at the time. These days I'd do it a bit
different as I've learned to stay up off the ground when camping/sleeping in the deserts of Baja.
Dernoladulce - 10-4-2009 at 12:42 PM
Shew Dern, good thing you had Cora as your early warning system before the tarantula got too close to your face! She must have been a very sound sleeper.
I'm fond of nature's creatures but I'd be happier if a few species came with bells around their necks so I'd know when they're around- namely snakes
and big spiders.
ok, I guess a bell collar wouldn't work very well on a snake but you get the picture.docsmom - 10-5-2009 at 09:27 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Mulegena
Tarantulas are great, aren't they?
However, I don' like 'em in my bed as happened 2 weeks ago.
Oh my, I wish I hadn't read this right before bed time!
Beachgirl - 10-6-2009 at 07:34 AM
One of our helpers after Jimena overturned a stray piece of wood to find a baby rattlesnake. My question was...where is your Mama? Nature's
creatures are facinating and wonderful, but there are a few of them I would prefer stay outta my yard and house!Dianamo - 10-6-2009 at 08:16 AM
Remember, baby rattlers are very dangerous as they cannot control the amount of venom in their bite, they release it all in the first bite. I was
working in the yard here in NorCal and looked down to see a baby within 10" of my face. Luckily it was sound asleep and I hurt myself getting away
from it. Almost had a heart attack though. My husband now catches the rattlers and takes them back to the mountain.
Spiders at our house are catch and release outside (well maybe not a brown recluse or black widow, but the others).fandango - 10-6-2009 at 12:07 PM
woody, i believe the move you describe is:
Arachnoleptic fit (n.):* The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.
*mensa2005Beachgirl - 10-7-2009 at 05:42 AM
Dianamo - So...just how does hubby catch the rattlers safely? Just curious...
Fangango - That's hillarious! How true, how true. I think we have all done that danceMartyman - 10-8-2009 at 09:09 AM
Don't forget about the Tarantella, which is a type of music in a frantic 6/8 rhythm. It has something to do with spiders spinning a web or recreating
how you act after you've been bitten by a spider.
I too am a big fan of John Enstwhistles' bass playing. Love that bass intro riff to I'm In Tunevandenberg - 10-8-2009 at 11:46 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Beachgirl
Dianamo - So...just how does hubby catch the rattlers safely? Just curious...
