Monsoon season in Arizona brings both the rain and tarantulas looking for love. It's tarantula mating season.
It's not as sexy as it sounds though. As the rains cool the desert and bring much need moisture, tarantulas leave their burrows to find the perfect mate to have their hundreds of spiderlings with.
"They could have hundreds of eggs, so they could have quite a few offspring. But a lot of the times those will be preyed upon, so that's why they have so many," Katelyn Garcia of the Phoenix Herpetological Society told AZfamily.com.
Tarantulas are usually solitary critters, but they'll hit the road when trying to find a mate. It's not uncommon to see more of the spiders from late August to October, especially during the night since they're nocturnal. They usually mean no harm to humans but they're best to be left alone.
"They're about as venomous as a bee or a little bit more," said Garcia. "Then they can kick hairs or move their legs on their abdomen; those hairs can irritate your skin."
The only ones really at risk during tarantula mating season are male tarantulas. Once they find a female tarantulas and fertilizes her eggs, the male tarantulas leave or else risk being eaten by the female. For those that don't become their date's dinner, most male tarantulas only live a few months after mating season.
Photo: Getty Images