01 November 2023 , 08:48
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A motorcyclist has been hospitalised in California following a multi-vehicle collision caused by a tarantula in Death Valley National Park.
The 24-year-old Canadian was rushed to Desert View Hospital near Pahrump on Saturday, where his condition remains unclear. According to the National Park Service, the smash occurred after a visiting Swiss couple slammed on their brakes to avoid hitting the eight-legged beast.
Their campervan was duly rear-ended by the motorcyclist - with the spider escaping from the pile-up into the desert unharmed. In a Facebook statement, the park revealed the incident took place on a state highway to the east of Towne Pass, in a remote area of Inyo County.
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Superintendent Mike Reynolds, the park service's first employee to arrive at the scene, advised other visitors to the area to drive slowly, particularly when travelling down steep hills. "Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out," he said.
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Tarantulas typically average around five inches in length, but have a whopping 11-inch leg span, according to the National Wildlife Foundation. The majority of the US can rest assured, however, that the creatures are only native to the South West of the country.
The incident occurred in a remote area of Inyo County (Getty Images)The spiders spend a significant period of their lives in underground burrows, but most commonly emerge in the autumn when eight to 10-year old males head out in search of a mate. They use venom to immobilise their prey, but somewhat surprisingly aren't deadly to humans.
Their bites are said to be comparable to a bee sting, though the barbed hairs they shoot at attackers can cause skin irritation in humans. They are considered a slow and non-aggressive species, and make popular pets for some.
Female tarantulas are far more deadly for males than any wayward car or motorcycle, considering the arachnids spend most of their life underground only leaving their burrows "to search for a mate". Females will often kill and eat males after mating with them.
Even if she doesn't kill him, though, male tarantulas rarely live for more than a few months. Females, however, can live for 25 years, mating multiple times.
One recent visitor to the park said they thought they saw "at least 20 crossing the road" near Dante's Viewpoint in the park. Another said: "After being chased by a couple of tarantulas on different occasions, I'd disagree that they are slow moving."
In 2016 scientists named a newly-discovered species of tarantula after country music legend Johnny Cash. Aphonopelma johnnycashi was discovered in the state near Folsom Prison - which the musician made famous in his song Folsom Prison Blues, recorded in 1955. It was one of 14 new tarantula species found in the US, all members of the Aphonopelma family.