Are there tarantulas in Illinois?
Short answer
No
No. There are no open records of the tarantula from Illinois, and the state is outside its range.
The nearest populations are in Missouri.
Tarantulas across the US
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
How to recognize one
Tarantula Aphonopelma spp.
- Large, hairy, brown to black spider
- Lives in a burrow with silk around the entrance
- Males wander in late summer and fall looking for mates
Painful, rarely serious. Bites are rare and feel like a bee sting. The hairs on the abdomen can irritate skin and eyes.
Questions
Are there tarantulas in Illinois?
No. There are no open records of the tarantula from Illinois, and the state is outside its range.
Where are the nearest tarantulas to Illinois?
In Missouri.
What do tarantulas look like?
Large, hairy, brown to black spider. Lives in a burrow with silk around the entrance. Males wander in late summer and fall looking for mates.