Bug FAQDesert Blonde Tarantula
Aphonopelma chalcodes · Order: Araneae · Family: Theraphosidae
Also called: Arizona Blonde Tarantula, Mexican Blond Tarantula, desert blond tarantula
Desert blonde tarantulas are large, up to 5 in (13 cm) long, with a pale, hairy carapace and dark legs and abdomen. They live in deep burrows they dig under stones in the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico and nearby parts of Mexico. Females can live 24 to 30 years, males 5 to 10 years, and they molt mainly in March and April.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The name “blonde tarantula” comes from the pale hairs covering the carapace, while the legs and abdomen stay dark.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults range from 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 cm) in total length. Females reach up to 56 mm body length; males only about 44 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Their venom is mild and they are among the least dangerous tarantulas to humans.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They make deep burrows under stones or in unused spaces to buffer temperature changes.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They stay near the burrow entrance at night waiting for prey, and may be seen near the top of the burrow early in the day.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Young look like females until they later develop sexual differences. Females live about 24 to 30 years; males live 5 to 10 years.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Molting is most noticeable in March and April.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
They are native to the deserts of Arizona and nearby parts of Mexico. They are also common in New Mexico and Arizona in the southwestern United States.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 3 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where are they found?
They live in desert burrows in Arizona, New Mexico and nearby parts of Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do they live?
Females can live 24 to 30 years, while males live about 5 to 10 years.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Theraphosidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_chalcodes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.