标题: Armies of Male Tarantulas on the March in San Francisco [打印本页] 作者: choi 时间: 10-10-2019 15:36 标题: Armies of Male Tarantulas on the March in San Francisco Jim Carlton, For the Tarantula, It's Better to Be Loved Than Feared' Warm weather extends their mating season in California; 'Gentle giants.' Wall Street Journal, Oct 9, 2019 (front page) https://www.wsj.com/articles/don ... or-love-11570569870
("Warm weather in the San Francisco Bay Area has extended tarantula mating season—a surprisingly public affair [referring to the mating pr mate-searching] * * * The spiders [tarantulas] aren't dangerous to people, in fact it’s the other way around. * * * A sign at the entrance to a trail in Mount Diablo State Park tells visitors: 'Tarantula venom is very mild and won't harm you—unless you're the size of a small lizard or cricket.' * * * In this world, the female has the long-term advantage. They live to procreate another day, as long as 25 years. The males, on the other hand, go on to die soon after mating between age 4 and 7—in some cases immediately after sex at the fangs of their mate. * * * Tarantulas themselves face numerous threats. One is from habitat destruction due to development, which has reduced their numbers, Mr [Michael] Marchiano[, a volunteer naturalist for the Mount Diablo State Park] said. One of its most deadly foes is the tarantula wasp, whose sting leaves the arachnid paralyzed but still alive—until it is consumed by the wasp's offspring")