Where Do Tarantulas Actually Live in the US?
Tarantulas live in 12 US states and are confirmed absent from 37 more, based on 17,076 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas and Louisiana, and 6 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Tarantulas have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana, or 27 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.
A small number of states (1) have only a handful of unverified or vagrant records, too few to confirm tarantulas as an established population there.
Confirmed states (12)
Not found (37)
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Unconfirmed (1)
Only a handful of unverified or vagrant records exist for tarantulas in South Carolina, too few to confirm an established population.
Frequently asked questions
What states do tarantulas live in?+
Tarantulas have confirmed wild populations in 12 US states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.
Where are tarantulas not found in the US?+
Tarantulas have no confirmed wild sightings in Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Full tarantulas guides by state