Current:Home > reviewsTarantula crossing road causes traffic accident in Death Valley National Park -FinanceAcademy
Tarantula crossing road causes traffic accident in Death Valley National Park
View
Date:2025-04-17 05:03:06
Tourists from Switzerland got more than they bargained for while driving in Death Valley National Park in California Saturday, the National Park Service says.
The couple spotted a tarantula crossing CA-190 east of Towne Pass and hit the brakes of their rented camper van hard to avoid hitting it, according to the park service — and a 24-year-old motorcyclist from Canada then rammed into the back of the camper.
A park service ambulance brought him to Desert View Hospital in Pahrump. There was no word on his condition.
The spider — as the park service put it — "walked away unscathed."
"Please drive slowly, especially going down steep hills in the park," said Superintendent Mike Reynolds, the first park service employee to get to the scene. "Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out."
The service points out that, "Tarantulas spend most of their long lives in underground burrows. People see them most often in the fall, when 8- to 10-year-old male tarantulas leave their burrows to search for a mate. The female sometimes kills and eats him after mating. Even if she doesn't kill him, the male tarantula rarely lives more than a few more months. However, female tarantulas can live for 25 years, mating multiple times.
"Tarantulas are slow moving and nonaggressive. A tarantula's bite is reported to be similar to a bee sting, and is not deadly to humans."
veryGood! (9434)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Florida deputy accidentally shoots and kills his girlfriend, officials say
- Cheryl Burke Offers Advice to Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev Amid Divorce
- Katy Perry's new album '143' is 'mindless' and 'uninspired,' per critics. What happened?
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- '21st night of September' memes are back: What it means and why you'll see it
- Police chase in NYC, Long Island ends with driver dead and 7 officers, civilian taken to hospitals
- North America’s Biggest Food Companies Are Struggling to Lower Their Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Biden is putting personal touch on Asia-Pacific diplomacy in his final months in office
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Biden is putting personal touch on Asia-Pacific diplomacy in his final months in office
- The Truth About Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve's Awe-Inspiring Love Story
- Get an Extra 60% Off Nordstrom Rack Clearance: Save 92% With $6 Good American Shorts, $7 Dresses & More
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- 'Marvel at it now:' A’ja Wilson’s greatness on display as Aces pursue WNBA three-peat
- USC vs. Michigan highlights: Catch up on all the big moments from Big Ten thriller
- Did Lyle Menendez wear a hair piece? Why it came up in pivotal scene of Netflix's new 'Monsters' series
Recommendation
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
Why Bella Hadid Is Thanking Gigi Hadid's Ex Zayn Malik
Phillies torch Mets to clinch third straight playoff berth with NL East title in sight
A funeral mass is held for a teen boy killed in a Georgia high school shooting
The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
Actor Ross McCall Shares Update on Relationship With Pat Sajack’s Daughter Maggie Sajak
The politics of immigration play differently along the US-Mexico border
DNA match leads to arrest in 1988 cold case killing of Boston woman Karen Taylor