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Tarantula: how to identify it and what to do
You may have just seen a big, hairy spider moving across a room, near a door, or outside after summer rain. In the Phoenix area, that is often a tarantula, commonly called an Arizona tarantula or Arizona blond tarantula. This page helps you tell what you saw, how worried to be, and what to do next.
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- Large hairy spider indoors
- Wandering after summer rains
- Burrow with silk at opening
- Mostly seen at night
- Tan female, darker male
If someone was stung or bitten
Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. It's answered around the clock by nurses and pharmacists at Arizona's poison centers, and they'll tell you whether you can stay home.
Call Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222
Call 911 right away for trouble breathing, swallowing or talking, or for a young child with strong symptoms.
A tarantula is a large, ground-living spider that usually stays near a burrow. It has fangs and venom, yet University of Arizona Extension says tarantulas are not aggressive and there are no records of serious harm to humans from their bites. Keep hands away, keep children and pets back, and call a local pest control company if it’s indoors or you can’t leave it alone safely.
Tarantulas in the Southwest spend much of their lives on or in the ground. They dig burrows as young spiders, then enlarge those burrows over time. Once settled, an individual usually hunts close to that spot.
They are mostly active at night. During the day, they tend to stay hidden. Their prey includes insects such as crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas, and caterpillars. University of Arizona Extension also lists cockroaches, grasshoppers, crickets, and newborn mice as food items for tarantulas.
Many indoor encounters are with wandering males. After years in a burrow, males leave to search for females during the warm rainy season. People sometimes find them in dwellings, which can be startling on tile at night.
A tarantula may raise the front of its body if bothered. If pressure continues, it may bite. It can also kick fine defensive hairs from the abdomen, so poking it or trapping it against skin is a bad idea.
- Adults are about 2 to 4 inches long.
- Body and legs are densely hairy.
- Color ranges light brown to dark brown.
- Females are often tan and stocky.
- Males may have dark legs and reddish abdomen.
- Burrow openings may show silk strands.
Health risk
Tarantulas have fangs and venom, though bites are unlikely unless the spider is seriously provoked. Their defensive abdominal hairs can irritate skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. Don’t handle one by hand. If there was a bite or hair exposure, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 for severe symptoms.
In the Phoenix area, sightings rise with the summer rains. Sources place male wandering during June through October, with July, August, and September called out during Arizona summer rains.
What's different in the Phoenix area
Around Phoenix, the local detail that matters is saguaro country. The Arizona blond tarantula is tied to saguaro-dominated plant communities, and males are often seen moving during the summer rains. A large hairy spider crossing an Arizona road after a July storm is often a male looking for a mate.
Often confused with
What you can do today
Give it space
Keep children and pets back. Watch where it goes, but don’t poke it or try to pick it up by hand.
Keep distance indoors
If it’s inside, keep children and pets back. Close the room if you can do that without getting close, and call a professional if it needs to be removed.
Watch for hairs after removal
After a removal, items that touched the spider may hold irritating hairs. Don’t reuse a bag or small box, and keep children and pets away from it.
Check for a burrow
Outside, look for a round ground opening with silk near the mouth. Don’t dig into it. A tarantula may live there for years.
Avoid close photos
A photo from a safe distance is enough. Getting close can stress the spider and raise the chance of a defensive response.
When to call a pest control company
A local pest control company is worth calling if you keep finding large spiders indoors, you’re unsure whether it’s a tarantula, or the spider needs to be removed. A technician can identify the spider, look for nearby burrows, and check whether the sighting fits a wandering tarantula or another pest issue.
Not sure what you're dealing with?
Describe it on the phone. The company on the other end handles these calls every day and will know what to ask.
Common questions about tarantula in Phoenix
Are tarantulas dangerous to people?
They look scary because they are large and hairy. University of Arizona Extension describes them as harmless to people when left alone, with no records of serious harm to humans from tarantula bites.
Do Arizona tarantulas bite?
They can bite because they have fangs and venom. A bite is unlikely unless the spider is seriously provoked, so don’t handle it by hand.
Why are tarantulas walking around after rain?
Males leave their burrows during the warm rainy season to find females. Arizona sources link many road sightings to the summer rains.
What should I do if a tarantula is inside my house?
Keep distance first. Keep children and pets back, close the room if you can without getting close, and call a professional if it needs to be removed.
Is an Arizona tarantula the same as an Arizona blond tarantula?
The Arizona blond tarantula is one common desert tarantula name used in Arizona. There are many tarantula species in the state, and exact species can be hard to confirm from a quick look.
Get the tarantula problem looked at
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