LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – Get ready for some fur, fangs and flirting

If you’re hiking on trails in the western U.S. right now, you may run into some fuzzy critters. The end of summer is an active time for tarantula mating season in several states.

Male tarantulas in areas of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and even as east as Kansas go out in the world to find love, which comes in the form of female tarantulas who hang out in burrows.

The best thing to do if you see one is to leave it alone. Nevada’s State Entomologist Jeff Knight says they can be a bit defensive.

“They’ll rear up on their hind legs and look real tough or if they get really upset, they actually use the hairs on their abdomen as a defensive mechanism,” Knight said.

Knight says an angry tarantula can kick off a cloud of hairs that causes a stinging irritation or rash, but nothing life-threatening.

If you’re not a fan of arachnids, don’t worry too much: You might not be able to find them so easily. Kate Bloomfield, the interpreter for Nevada’s Spring Mountain Ranch Park, says they don’t pop up in her area too often.

“About this time of year, I’ll get one or two,” Bloomfield said.

But in central Nevada towns like Gabbs, you’re able to see groups of tarantulas outside. And around the Las Vegas valley, you may see the occasional critter cross your path. When it does, just make sure to keep a good distance.

“The rule of thumb is if the wild animal — which they are — cannot be covered up with your thumb when you’re looking at it, then you’re way too close,” Bloomfield said.

Tarantula mating season in many states ends in October. After mating, females lay up to 350 eggs, which can take up to 3 months to hatch.