I have lived here for almost a year and a half, and yesterday was the first time that I saw a tarantula. It was at Albertson's, in a gravel bed near my car. It was dead, lying on its back in the dead spider pose, but it was still about 2" long and rather wide. I had to look twice to make sure I was really looking at a tarantula, but there it was. Man, they are furry!
I still have not seen a rattlesnake here in Tucson (for which I am grateful), javelinas (still can't believe Tim didn't take a picture of the 8 that were in our yard last fall, eating my pumpkin), a black widow spider, a gila monster, a mountain lion, or any of the number of other desert animals that live here that I can't think of.
I have seen:
-bark scorpions
-roadrunners
-coyotes
-wolf spider (on Kate's dust ruffle, ICK)
-a horned toad (on my night flight last summer when we were walking to the airplane, of all places)
-woodpeckers
-quail
-huge ENORMOUS beetles that like our pool
(this one isn't all that big, only about 2"; the others I have seen have been that long, but fat)A beetle that was in our pool filter, clinging to Kate's ball for life.
The horned toad is interesting - it can shoot an aimed stream of blood out of its eyes to confuse predators.
And of course, the greatest predator of all lives with us in our house:
Starbuck, destroyer of...peace.
5 comments:
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I was not prepared for the hairy horribleness that is the tarantula. I clicked on this site expecting to see chubby baby thighs! GACK! Hideous! Maybe I don't want to move to Tucson. That beetle. Those spiders!
Kate still has chubsy baby thighs, but I thought y'all were tired of seeing them. ;-)
Tucson isn't THAT bad...mind you, I have yet to see a live tarantula here, and the beetles are just beetles, icky as they look.
I don't know you, but found your blog from Katie's. We are getting moving to Tucson in December. Your posts are making me really excited to get back there already!!
Yeah, those spiders will get anyone excited! Do you know which squadron you are headed to?
We actually have met...in Korea for a short time while you were visiting Ben in the summer. It will be good to have you guys here!
I thought maybe we had, but I was not sure and I didn't want to sound like a wierdo! He will have to go through the IPUG once he gets there then he will be assigned to a squadron. He starts Jan 8. my email is dafallins@excite.com if you have any words of wisdom on house buying in Tucson!!
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