Texans Prepare: It’s Tarantula Mating Season

Love is in the air. Well, if you have 8 legs, large fangs and you have a phobia named after you.

That's right, tarantula mating season often falls between May and August, and this year is showing to be a doozy.

Texas Tarantulas

Texas is home to 14 different species of tarantula ranging from size and color to up to 6 inches from back leg to front leg.

Not to mention the fact that males can live up to 10 years, and females? Over 30 years for some species! The females also are known to lay up to 1000 eggs in one... sac? These eggs generally take about 40 to 60 days to hatch into beautiful little spider babies.

Bites from these little guys are more of a nuisance than anything: akin to a bee sting.

On the move in Texas

Tarantulas are seen poking their little heads up all around the Lone Star State, but some areas are seeing higher activity than others, like the Government Canyon State Natural Area just West of San Antonio.

They took to Facebook to show off some of their new furry friends.

According to them, it's common for Texas tan tarantulas, among many others, to be timid and shy.

If you find yourself stumbling across one in your path, they'll either run away, stick their front legs up to look bigger, or stroke their abdomen to release tiny hairs that irritate your skin and eyes.

As tarantulas begin their trek to find a mate in Texas, it's important to keep these things in mind, especially if you plan on handling one in the wild. Rude.