I have been touched and honored by the support I have gotten for my Crowdrise campaign. I really appreciate everyone’s efforts in sharing my message and donating to my cause. Please continue to pass along my request to as many people as you can and help me continue to make a difference in the world.

As part of the campaign I am going to feature Colorado wildlife posts each week. This week’s guest is the Colorado Tarantula.

The Colorado Tarantula is about the size of a coffee cup and weighs between 1 and 3 ounces.

The Colorado Tarantula can live up to 30 years, though most males live only ten before reaching sexual maturity and wandering off to find their mate. (Who will most likely kill them as soon as they have fertilized their eggs. Hmph. Women.)

Each fall, during September, hundreds of these stunning male arachnids leave their burrows in search of mates and they do not care who gets in their way. During my last foray into the southeastern plains the fellow pictured above paid me no mind whatsoever as I took his picture. He just kept walking toward me as if to say “Looking for spider sex lady, don’t try to stop me.”

The Colorado Tarantula has barbed venomous abdomen hair that specialists advise against getting in your nose or eyes as the hairs can cause serious damage to these delicate tissues. (Not sure why you are using a tarantula like a tissue but stop it, okay? Go find some cacti to blow your nose on or something.) The spider’s bite is less bothersome than a bee sting, making it a molehill of a mountain as far as poisonous spiders are concerned.

The Southern Plains Land Trust sees these handsome devils all over our preserves and we are pleased to offer them thousands of acres to live on in perpetuity.

Please take a moment to view my CrowdRise campaign and share it on your social network. Your support will help me keep the prairie open and free for the Colorado Tarantula.