Skip to content

Monday, Jun. 10, 2024

Is Fort Worth home to tarantulas?


yes

Tarantulas are native to Texas, and are one of 14 species of arachnids living in the state.

There have been several tarantula sightings in Fort Worth, according to iNaturalist, a crowdsourcing species website. The majority of tarantula sightings in Tarrant County have been on the west side in cities such as White Settlement and Benbrook. 

Tarantula sightings increase in the summer because of the annual tarantula migration, a phenomenon where male tarantulas that are ready to reproduce actively search for mates.

Aphonopelma is a common genus of tarantula in the U.S., and includes Texas-based species such as the Texas brown tarantula.

See a full discussion of this at Fort Worth Report

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

The Fort Worth Report is a 501(c)(3) organization that launched April 12, 2021. This new media outlet is built on a foundation of local leadership and local investment. It provides community-sourced journalism that exclusively supports and reports on the Fort Worth community with fact-based, thoughtful and contextual coverage without bias or predetermined agendas. The enterprise is governed by a mission statement, bylaws, and an organizational structure that ensures it remains faithful to these foundational principles.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.