After crossing the trail, the tarantula tried to hunker down under this rock but despite its best efforts it didn’t quite fit. I decided to continue up the trail and leave it be, either to stay there or find a more accommodating hiding spot.

We were hiking the Little Arsenic Trail in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area in the Rio Grande Gorge when we crossed paths with this wonderful little tarantula. I think it might be a desert tarantula since they are supposed to be common in New Mexico, and possibly a female.

While researching tarantulas, I was stunned to learn of their longevity. Species like this one don’t reach sexual maturity for nearly a decade and the females often live another decade after that. The poor males, however, survive only months after mating for the first time, one and done.

Not exactly fair, is it?