Published October 31,2023
Subscribe
A motorcyclist was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance Saturday after being injured in a collision that officials at said was caused by a tarantula.
The collision occurred when a driver of a rented camper van "braked suddenly" to avoid running over a tarantula in the middle of the roadway, and the motorcyclist drove into the back of the van, according to a news release from the park.
The giant hairy spider was crossing east of . The van was occupied by a Swiss couple visiting , park officials said.
The spider was unharmed.
"Please drive slowly, especially going down steep hills in the park," Park Superintendent , the first employee at the scene of the collision, said in a statement. "Our roads still have gravel patches due to flood damage, and wildlife of all sizes are out."
Tarantulas build underground burrows where they spend a lot of their time, but they often emerge in fall during mating season.
"I don't think they're exclusive to October, but it does tend to be when they're more active," said , a national park ranger and incident information officer.
