Enormous spider startles golfer in Arizona

An enormous spider startled an unexpecting golfer in Arizona, footage shared on July 13 shows.

Emily Casey, who told Storyful she filmed this video, came across the tarantula sitting inside a cup at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona.

"Welcome to tarantula season in northern Arizona," Casey said in an X post. "Better check the cup before reaching in to grab your ball."

Tarantulas in the U.S.

Tarantulas can be found around the world, with about 30 tarantula species native to the U.S. 

Most of those species can be found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, while others can also be found in states such as California and Colorado.

Tarantulas typically remain in the burrows throughout most of the year, and only come out at night, according to the National Park Service.

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Tarantula mating season

Mating season happens annually just before Halloween. Males will venture out of their burrows and walk long distances, tracking the scent of a female, to find her burrow. 

To let the female know that he is outside of her burrow, he taps one of his legs on the ground until she emerges.

Once she does, the two engage in a mating dance that, for the male, can mean his end. As they mate, the male fends off the female with his front legs as she wants to eat him. The NPS noted that, by consuming the male, the female is able to receive extra nutrition as she will produce up to 1,000 eggs and a silk cocoon she’ll weave to protect them.

If a male is able to escape a female’s grasp and appetite, he will still likely die within a few months, according to the NPS. The female, on the other hand, may live and produce more eggs for at least 25 years.

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Do tarantulas bite?

Tarantulas usually eat insects, but some varieties make meals out of frogs, toads, and even mice. But never humans. 

Their bites are painful, but their venom is weaker than a bee's. But that doesn't mean you should go man-handling them. They're very delicate, with very fragile exoskeletons. 

And they have one real method of defense: barbed hairs that they flick from their abdomens- and you don't want to get those in your eyes.

This story was reported from Detroit. Storyful and FOX Weather contributed.