Yes, there are tarantulas living wild in Florida, but they aren’t native. The only established population belongs to the Mexican redrump tarantula, a non-native species that has been breeding in the wild since at least the 1970s. No tarantula species is indigenous to the state.
How Tarantulas Ended Up in Florida
In August 1996, citrus grove workers in St. Lucie County, west of Fort Pierce, collected a large black spider with distinctive red hairs on its abdomen. Researchers at the University of Florida identified it as a Mexican redrump tarantula, a species native to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and parts of Central America stretching south to northeastern Costa Rica. It’s one of the most commonly imported tarantulas in the pet trade, sold under names like the Central American, Guatemalan, or Mexican black velvet tarantula.
The specimen collected in 1996 was only half grown, which told researchers something important: this wasn’t an escaped adult pet. These spiders were reproducing. Further investigation suggested the population had already been established for over a decade by that point, supporting local accounts that a commercial pet importer or breeder released several specimens at the site during the 1970s. Florida’s warm, humid climate gave the tropical spiders everything they needed to survive and breed outdoors year-round.
Where They Live
The documented wild population is concentrated in St. Lucie County on Florida’s central Atlantic coast. Mexican redrumps are ground-dwelling spiders that dig burrows in soft soil, and the sandy, subtropical landscape of central and southern Florida suits them well. They are secretive, nocturnal animals that spend most of the day hidden underground, so encounters are uncommon even in areas where they live. You’re most likely to spot one at night, particularly after rain, when they may be active near the entrance of their burrows or hunting on the surface.
What They Look Like
Mexican redrumps are unmistakable. They are large, stocky spiders with a leg span that can reach about five inches. The body is covered in velvety black hair, and the abdomen is marked with reddish-orange hairs that give the species its common name. If you see a spider this size in Florida, it is almost certainly either this species or something else entirely (more on lookalikes below).
Are They Dangerous?
Tarantulas are venomous, but bites from North American species cause only mild effects in humans. A bite from a Mexican redrump is painful and can produce throbbing that lasts for hours, along with swelling and inflammation around the bite. Fever, nausea, and vomiting are rare.
The bigger nuisance is their defensive hairs. When threatened, tarantulas can release a cloud of tiny barbed hairs from their abdomen. These hairs embed in skin and cause itching, redness, and swelling that can persist for weeks. If the hairs get into your eyes, the experience is worse: pain, light sensitivity, and a sensation similar to having fiberglass particles lodged against the surface of the eye. In some cases, the hairs can remain stuck and cause lasting irritation or corneal damage. If you find a tarantula in the wild, the simplest advice is to leave it alone.
Ecological Concerns
As a non-native predator, the Mexican redrump raises real concerns about its effect on Florida’s native wildlife. These tarantulas feed on insects, small frogs, lizards, and other invertebrates, putting them in direct competition with native predators and making them a potential threat to smaller native species. University of Florida researchers have warned that it would be irresponsible to assume a naturalized tarantula population won’t harm native ecosystems, even if the full extent of the damage is difficult to measure.
Florida already has one of the worst invasive species problems in the United States, from Burmese pythons in the Everglades to giant African land snails in Miami-Dade County. The Mexican redrump is a quieter addition to that list, partly because tarantulas are so reclusive. But their ability to reproduce and sustain a population for decades shows they are firmly established.
Spiders Mistaken for Tarantulas
Florida is home to several native spiders that people sometimes confuse with tarantulas. Trapdoor spiders and purseweb spiders are the most common lookalikes. Both are dark-colored, stocky, and build silk-lined burrows in the ground, and they are actually the closest living relatives of tarantulas. But they’re much smaller. Purseweb spiders top out at about an inch and a quarter in body length, far short of a tarantula’s bulk. They also have oversized fangs relative to their body, which can add to the intimidating appearance. If you find a burrowing spider in Florida that seems large but doesn’t quite match the five-inch leg span and velvet-black-with-red coloring of a Mexican redrump, you’re likely looking at one of these native relatives instead.