WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Oct. 15 (UPI) -- It's tarantula season in northern California, and these big, hairy spiders are a main attraction at Mount Diablo State Park.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported the male tarantulas have spent the last seven years underground awaiting sexual maturity. Now, in the months of September and October, they are coming out to find a mate.
Ken Lavin has been leading "tarantula hikes" on Mount Diablo for the last 20 years. He said 2006 has been a particularly good year for these creatures.
Lavin told the Chronicle that however fierce looking, tarantulas are actually quite shy and timid. They also have terrible eyesight and are so delicate they can meet their death simply by falling from the height of one foot.
Originally spotted on Mount Diablo in 1862, the tarantula is now a common tourist attraction.
