Each fall in the southeastern plains of Colorado, tarantulas embark on a long journey, crawling miles in search of a mate—a phenomenon we call the great “mate-gration.” Unfortunately, this quest comes with many dangers, including the risk of being run over by cars as they cross highways. To address this, Butterfly Pavilion, in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), is exploring ways to help these tarantulas cross safely. During this study we look at tarantula movements across roads, and test low "drift" fences to guide them to underpasses. Recently, our team traveled to La Junta, Colorado, where we found 22 male tarantulas in and around the roads. As we continue this research through mid-November, our goal, alongside CDOT, is to improve the survival chances of these male tarantulas and reduce vehicle collisions. Stay tuned to learn more about the progress of this project. #TarantulaMigration #Mategration #LaJunta #ButterflyPavilion #CultureForAll