Bug FAQTexas Tan Tarantula
Aphonopelma anax · Order: Araneae · Family: Theraphosidae
Also called: Texas Brown
Source: Wikipedia
Texas tan tarantulas are large, tan-brown spiders that live in silk-lined burrows in southern Texas and northern Mexico. Females can live decades and lay hundreds of eggs, while males usually die within two years after maturing. If disturbed they flick urticating hairs that can irritate skin, causing mild swelling or a rash.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The spider’s body is mainly tan with darker brown shades.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults reach a leg span of about five inches, and some females grow up to six inches.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Its calm nature makes it a desirable pet, not a household pest.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
When threatened, it kicks off urticating hairs that can cause mild skin irritation, swelling, or a rash if they contact skin or mucous membranes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in silk-lined burrows that it may dig itself or modify from existing holes in dead wood, rodent burrows, wood piles, or natural crevices.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females can produce hundreds of eggs at once. Female tarantulas may live up to 40 years, while males rarely survive more than two years after reaching maturity.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to southern Texas in the United States and northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It looks similar to the common Texas species Aphonopelma hentzi but is noticeably darker.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell a Texas tan tarantula apart from similar species?
It has a darker overall coloration than the similar Aphonopelma hentzi.
Source: Wikipedia
Do they bite or sting people?
If provoked they may flick urticating hairs that can cause mild skin irritation, swelling, or a rash.
Source: Wikipedia
How long do they live?
Females can live up to 40 years, while males usually die within two years after maturing.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Theraphosidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_anax
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.