A 24-year-old Canadian motorcyclist collided with a camper van in Death Valley on Saturday, Oct. 28, after the Swiss van driver suddenly braked to avoid hitting a tarantula.
According to a National Park Service press release, an ambulance transported the 24-year-old to the Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, Nevada, while the condition of the Swiss couple inside the van is not stated. The large spider remained fully untouched throughout the incident. Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds was the first NPS employee to arrive on the scene.
“Please drive slowly, especially going down steep hills in the park. Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out.” -Mike Reynolds
A majority of Death Valley’s roads were closed this summer due to flood damage in the wake of Tropical Storm Hillary. A large number of those roads remain closed, though four major routes, including CA-190 (where the tarantula accident occurred), are now open to the public. Many of the roads may remain closed into 2024, while Bonnie Clare Road is expected to remain closed until late 2025.
Tarantulas spend a majority of their lives in underground burrows. In the fall, mature male tarantulas, usually those around 8 to 10 years old, leave their burrows in search for a mate. This journey often represents their last, with some being killed and eaten by their female mate, and others finding death in another form (predators, starving, freezing, etc.).
Tarantulas are near harmless to humans. They are nonaggressive and rather slow moving, so tarantula bites are quite uncommon. When they do occur, however, they apparently feel quite similar to a bee sting and are not deadly to humans.
Related: Thousand Of Tarantulas Are Set To Make Their Way Across Colorado Over The Coming Months
Featured Image Credit: Death Valley National Park via Facebook