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Tarantula mating season is here — and if you’re in the Southwest, you might see hordes of these fist-sized spiders marching across the landscape.
From late summer through fall, male tarantulas emerge from their burrows on a singular mission: to find a female and mate before they die, experts say.
“These males … they’ve been alive for five to eight years,” Cara Shillington, a biology professor who studies tarantulas at Eastern Michigan University, told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.)
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“They have one mating season. At the end of the season, they will die.”
This means that if you see a tarantula out and about between August and October, you’re witnessing its grand finale — the final act in a long, hidden life underground.
Male tarantulas emerge only to find a mate when they reach sexual maturity at around 8 to 10 years old, after which they usually die within months. (iStock)
“Tarantulas are less active during the cooler months, spending this time dormant in their burrows,” Paul Biggs, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager at Orkin, told Fox News Digital.
“Because of the harsh environmental conditions, they take shelter and conserve energy during this time,” added Biggs, who is based in Riverside, California.
Tarantulas are commonly found across the Southern and Southwestern U.S., including in these states and areas:
In some areas, their movements are so noticeable that the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website refers to it as “a migration.”
“They’re more scared of you than you are of them.”
Southeastern Colorado even hosts an annual Tarantula Festival in the town of La Junta, Shillington noted.
Tarantulas don’t just live on forest floors. The Colorado species also thrives in trees and prairie grasslands, said Shillington.
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“In Colorado, they are in very distinct burrows. In Missouri, you find them more frequently under rocks,” she said.
The spiders’ ability to burrow depends on the soil, the expert noted. For example, hard clay makes digging tough, so some may opt for hiding under natural cover.
“Tarantulas are less active during the cooler months, spending this time dormant in their burrows,” an expert said. (iStock)
First, don’t panic. Tarantulas are not aggressive and prefer to avoid confrontation.
“Tarantulas don’t pose any threat at all,” Shillington told Fox News Digital.
She noted that “they’re more scared of you than you are of them.”
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The arachnids rarely bite, and if they do, it’s a defensive move, which is why it’s best not to try to pick one up or mess with it.
“Any time you try to grab it, the first thing it’ll do is try and run,” said Shillington. “They respond to anything trying to grab them as a threat.”
Even though tarantulas are well-known in popular culture, and even as pets, scientists still have many unanswered questions. (iStock)
If you find one in your home, trap it in a large container and take it outside, said Shillington.
Biggs cautioned against using pest products, which may “make the situation worse.”
He advised, “If you can contain it to one area in the meantime, do so without physically handling it.”
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Even though tarantulas are well-known in popular culture, and even as pets, scientists still have many unanswered questions.
“We actually know very little,” Shillington admitted. “I don’t know when exactly they first come out or what prompts them. I have no idea how far they are walking to find females.”
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She and her team are working to track activity across tarantula territory to better understand how the spider’s behavior changes over time.
The Dallas-Fort Worth economy is ending 2025 in a much different manner than it began.
In a year that started with all eyes on Washington, D.C. and an incoming (and repeat) Trump Administration, North Texas carved its own path, reshaping the business landscape for years to come. Here are a few of the biggest stories of 2025:
Once a bellwether of the retail world, Plano-based JCPenney in January said that it was merging with Sparc Group to form Catalyst Brands, bringing in names such as Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica.
Longtime Dallas-based luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus, which was acquired in 2024 by Saks Global, announced and then unannounced that it would close its iconic downtown department store. The move was a blow to downtown leaders and city officials in an era when the central business district is being displaced as the region’s business and cultural epicenter.
Texas became the hotbed for the data center boom this year, with dozens of companies announcing plans for these energy-sucking, AI-enabling facilities. Gasoline was thrown on an already sizzling market when OpenAi announced its Stargate initiative in February. This adds to major North Texas data center projects from players such as Meta, Google and Nvidia partners Aligned and Wistron.
After more than six years of discussions — delayed by new economic realities after the COVID-19 pandemic — DFW International Airport and American Airlines finalized a deal for a super-sized $4 billion Terminal F, the first new terminal since 2005. The upsized plans will include 31 new gates, exclusively occupied by Fort Worth-based American. The first phase should open in 2027.
Celebrity TV problem solver Phil McGraw saw his North Texas-based startup Merit Street Media crumble in 2025 and file for bankruptcy, starting a contentious, fireworks-filled and often baffling court battle with partners such as Professional Bull Riders and Trinity Broadcasting Network. It was more entertaining than the famous Dr. Phil “Cash Me Outside” episode.
Dallas-based banking giant Comerica was purchased by Ohio’s Fifth Third Bancorp in a $10.9 billion deal. Fifth Third was essentially buying its way into the Texas market, alongside branches in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas.
These are just a few of the major storylines. There is also the drama about a Dallas ranch real estate agent killed by a buffalo during a hunt in South Africa, numerous real estate deals and residential expansions, arena searches by Dallas’ NBA and NHL teams that turned into a soap opera. A Muslim-centric development near Josephine gained national notoriety from politicians railing against the project.
National economic storylines such as international import tariffs and more aggressive national immigration enforcement efforts all reshaped the North Texas economy, too.
One thing was consistent. The Dallas-Fort Worth economy kept chugging along, adding some 42,600 jobs between the beginning of the year and the end of the third quarter. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — There is a park — that aims to please both adrenaline junkies and fans of colorful lights — open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Miami-Dade County.
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There is a special for four tickets for about $100 on the “Noche Buena Party” in Miami-Dade’s Westchester neighborhood.
Admission includes unlimited rides from 4 p.m. to midnight at Tropical Park, at 7900 SW 40 St.
The Local 10 News Weather Authority meteorologists don’t expect rain on Wednesday night in the area. The probability of rain on Thursday is low.
For more information and tickets, visit this page.
More on Christmas in Miami-Dade
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For millions of travelers, airport security can feel like the most stressful part of any trip — shoes off, laptops out, lines inching forward while flight boards flash warnings overhead. But new data obtained by CBS News suggests travelers flying through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport may be navigating that experience with less frustration than many expect.
According to a decade-long analysis of TSA complaint data, Hartsfield-Jackson recorded one of the lowest complaint rates among major U.S. airports, especially notable given that it is the busiest airport in the world. Between 2015 and 2024, the airport logged 4.53 TSA complaints per 100,000 passengers, placing it tied for seventh-lowest nationwide among the country’s largest airports.
The study analyzed TSA complaints submitted to the agency’s Contact Center and compared them against total passenger enplanements at 63 of the busiest U.S. airports. The goal is to measure how often travelers felt compelled to formally report issues, such as customer service problems, screening delays, or mishandled property.
Over the 10-year period, Hartsfield-Jackson handled more than 461 million passengers — far more than most airports on the list — yet still maintained a relatively low complaint rate.
By comparison, some smaller airports recorded complaint rates more than double Atlanta’s, suggesting that airport size alone doesn’t determine passenger frustration.
As Christmas and New Year’s travel ramps up, the findings offer some reassurance for families heading out of Atlanta.
TSA lines remain long during peak hours, but the data suggests that most travelers are getting through security without issues serious enough to file formal complaints.
Travel expert Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways, says the airport experience often shapes how people remember their trip.
“Airports are often the first and last part of any journey,” Fitz-Coy said. “A smooth security process can make a real difference in how travelers feel about their entire experience,” according to the study’s findings .
Airport officials caution that no system is perfect, especially during holiday surges. Weather delays, staffing shortages, and passenger volume can still create bottlenecks. But the data suggests Atlanta’s TSA operations have remained relatively consistent over time, even under extraordinary demand.
As holiday crowds continue to swell, the numbers point to a rare travel bright spot: at the world’s busiest airport, frustration doesn’t always come standard.
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