A blonde spider
The female's body is covered in pale, straw-coloured hair. Males are darker and leggier.
The desert · Spiders and scorpions
Desert blonde tarantula
Aphonopelma chalcodes
A large, hairy spider. The female is pale sandy-blonde, with a darker abdomen and legs.
- Size
- Leg span 8 to 13cm
- Look for it
- June to October
- Where
- Burrows in desert soil in Arizona and northern Mexico
Plods after you, one foot at a time. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Desert tarantula
Good to know
Six things about the desert tarantula
The males go walking
After the summer rains, males leave their burrows and walk for miles looking for females. They are often seen crossing roads.
Slow to grow up
It takes about ten years to become an adult. Females can then live for another fifteen or twenty.
A silk curtain
She covers the mouth of her burrow with a veil of silk by day.
Itchy hairs
If bothered she kicks barbed hairs off her abdomen. They itch and sting.
Not dangerous
She is slow and unwilling to bite, and her venom is about as strong as a bee's.
The real thing
Photos of the desert tarantula
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Drive or walk slowly along a desert track at dusk in late summer. A walking male shows up well against the pale ground. Take an adult with you.
How to help
If you find one on a road, it is safe to steer it across with a stick. Most of those seen walking are males near the end of their lives.