Wow, quick replies!
I should have thought of checking the Desert Museum site, it's here in Tucson after all.
It certainly seems like it's an Arizona blond tarantula, a male one. Thanks!
| Tarantulas are nocturnal predators that never venture far from their burrows unless it is mating season. |
I REALLY hope it's mating season and that he was just out looking for a female... brrr.
| The many tarantulas seen on the roads in Arizona during the summer rains (July, August, September) are usually males searching for mates. The male tarantula does not survive long after his summer mating. Sometimes the female makes a meal of the male, or another predator kills him. Sometimes he dies of exposure to heat and cold. Even in captivity, out of harm’s way, males only survive a few months after mating. |
Geez, that's a tough life!