SAN DIEGO — Southern California is home to all sorts of animals and wildlife.
Recently, people in Poway are finding creepy crawlers along their neighborhood streets.
Neighbors in Poway say running into wild animals and strange critters is quite common.
"We’ll see hawks, coyotes, bunnies, rattlesnakes," said Lindsay Whittaker, Poway resident.
Recently, neighbors have spotted tarantulas crawling just outside their homes.
"I told my mom there was a big spider. It was just standing there I thought it was sleeping," said 5-year-old Rosie Schalz.
She’s not alone, Lindsay Whittaker’s 8-year-old daughter, Mia, owns a pet tarantula named Charlotte, but says she recently spotted another big spider right outside her home.
"I've lived here for 30 years, I came to Poway as a kid, and I've only seen them three times after the house. The first time was right after we moved in. The second one was about three years ago. And then the third one was a couple days ago. It was out front just cruising along the sidewalk. We were kind of surprised to see it so close to home," added Whittaker.
"Around this time, it’s like clockwork – right around the middle of August. There are two species of tarantulas in San Diego, and both start their mating season. Right around this time is when the males are leaving their burrows and they’re starting to look for females," said Cypress Hansen, Science Communications Manager at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Tarantulas are nocturnal hunters, feeding on insects like grasshoppers, beetles, other small spiders, lizards, and crickets.
They tend to live in dry and open areas throughout the desert and grassland, which makes southern California the ideal habitat.
"When people see them, we always recommend, just like with any wildlife, you check it out from a distance, you let it be. It’s best not to interrupt what they’re doing. If you happen to find one in your house, an easy way to deal with it is to kind of corral and kind of scoop it in a container and then move it outside," added Hansen.
Hansen says it’s rare that tarantulas bite but if they do, they typically warn you first.
"Similar to a rattlesnake that will warn you with its tail when you’re too close, tarantulas do this thing where they raise their two front legs when they feel threatened," said Hansen.
If you are bitten by one, it won’t kill you, but just keep an eye out for any infection.
"Their bites usually cause local pain, maybe a little bit of swelling or itching, most recommendations say you should go see a doctor and the main reason for that is some people can actually be allergic,” said Hansen. “With any kind of animal bite, regardless or not if the animal is venomous, sometimes the actual bite into your skin can introduce bacteria and you don't want to get an infection."
Hansen says mating season could last another 4 to 6 weeks.
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