Desert tarantulas are not considered poisonous to humans. However, that doesn't mean they can't be dangerous.
A trio of international travelers learned this lesson over the weekend when the appearance of the hairy, brown spider caused a two-vehicle crash in Death Valley National Park that sent a man to the hospital.
A Canadian motorcyclist crashed Saturday afternoon into the back of a camper rented by a Swiss couple who suddenly stopped in the middle of the road to make safe passage for a desert tarantula that was crawling across the road. according to national park officials.
The Swiss tourists “were fine,” according to park spokeswoman Abby Wines, but the motorcyclist was transported by ambulance approximately 100 miles to Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, Nevada.
Wines said his injuries were “not life-threatening,” but there was no update on the man's condition.
The spider, according to park officials, “came out unharmed.”
Seeing a tarantula on the surface is unusual. Park officials said the spider spends most of its time underground. Fall turns out to be the only season in which 8- to 10-year-old male tarantulas leave “their burrows to look for a mate.”
Female tarantulas are deadlier to males than any wayward car or motorcycle: females often kill and eat males after mating.
Park officials described the eight-legged creature, both male and female, as “slow-moving and non-aggressive” and said its non-venomous bite is “similar to a bee sting.”
The accident took place along two-lane California State Route 190 near Towne Pass, which provides western access to the national park.
“Please drive slowly, especially when going down steep hills in the park,” Mike Reynolds, superintendent of Death Valley National Park, said in a statement.
Reynolds was the first park employee to inspect the accident scene.
“Our roads still have patches of gravel from flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out there,” he said.
Part of the state route that was closed due to flooding It was reopened on October 15while other parts of the park and adjacent roads are still closed.
