EMU Today

YPSILANTI — While spiders sometimes incite fear in humans, Eastern Michigan University biology professor Cara Shillington couldn’t be happier studying them up close. Shillington has been working hard on a sabbatical, conducting field research on tarantulas during their mating season in La Junta, Colorado. Through her research, Shillington hopes to change people’s perception of arachnids from creepy creatures to furry friends by educating the public. 

At EMU, Shillington conducts integrated, hands-on research on how animals interact with their environment. Her research analyzes tarantulas’ adaptive functions and sexual variation in their natural habitat. On her sabbatical in La Junta, Shillington works with the Southern Plains Land Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving the plains where tarantulas reside. 

“When you encounter tarantulas, they’re more afraid of you,” said Shillington. “Tarantulas only bite out of fear. This is the only way that they have to protect themselves, and if you don’t put them in a situation where they feel like they have to bite, then there is no reason to fear them.”

Since tarantulas are embedded in the region, La Junta hosts an annual festival celebrating the spiders’ mating season from September through November. During their mating cycle, tarantulas emerge from their burrows across the town. The La Junta Tarantula Festival featured a dedicated tarantula parade during a town-wide celebration. During the festival, Shillington was featured as a guest speaker. 

Shillington’s research has informed other publications in the scientific community. Last year, EMU graduate student Bradley Allendorfer visited La Junta to conduct further study of Shillington’s 2006 publication on the Mexican tarantula species. 

For more information on EMU’s biology department, visit the website. 

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, EMU is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 13,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.