How to Identify a Tarantula Spider

Tarantulas are mainly brown and black, but several species are far more colorful. The following characteristics are common to most species of tarantulas (or spiders in general):

1. 1
   Look for a very large, hairy body and hairy legs. However, some adult tarantulas can be less than 0.5 centimeter (0.2 in). ^[3]

   • The body length and height can be up to 3” (76 mm).
   • The leg span can be as much as 3 to 5” (76 to 127 mm).
2. 2
   Check for a red-brown to black color; most tarantulas don’t have obvious markings. However color is extremely variable, and many other distantly related spiders are the same colour as many tarantulas. ^[4]
3. 3
   Observe the form. A tarantula like all spiders has a frontal segment (opisthosoma) connected through a narrow waist to the abdomen which is oval-shaped.
4. 4
   Look for a single small group of typically eight eyes on the forehead, but all tightly clustered onto a single mound, not like shown here. This would be a huntsman. Another often confused are Wandering spiders, where two of the eight eights are lower down and closer to the mouth parts than the remaining eyes
5. 5
   Look at the features of the mouth area; there are two backward-pointing fangs just below the eyes and 2 pedipalps (leg-like appendages) near the mouth. The direction the fangs bite can be very diagnostic - if biting 'backwards' (paraxial) then this reduces the possible identity to just several broad groups (spider families) which includes tarantulas.
6. 6
   Notice the fangs; tarantula’s fangs (and in other close families) move up and down (paraxial), whilst all other spider’s fangs move horizontally (axial) to pinch.
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Tarantulas don’t spin webs; most live in burrows underground. They use their fangs to dig the burrows. However, you can also sometimes spot tarantulas in other places.:

1. 1
   Look for tarantulas in trees as well as under tree roots. ^[5]
2. 2
   Examine rock cliffs for makeshift tarantula burrows.
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