Scariest Critter in the South: Chocolate Brown Tarantula is Out in Arkansas

With Halloween right around the corner, what would it be without some creepy crawler spider?

Imagine climbing into bed at night and noticing something under the covers moving. You pull back the blanket to see a huge, furry, brown tarantula looking back at you. This sounds like something straight out of a nightmare, yikes!

Arkansas's Only Native Tarantula Species

Arkansas is home to a lot of different spiders, but the state's only native tarantula species is the chocolate brown tarantula. According to Fun in Arkansas, besides their entire body being covered in hair, which is menacing enough, their long legs span as wide as four inches. That's not a spider, that's a beast!

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These critters can also be found in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and other southern states in the United States.

The Arkansas Chocolate Brown Tarantula comes out of underground burrows about this time every year in search of a mate or prey. Their favorite meal is crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, and other insects. They are typically found hiding in rodent tunnels and silk-lined burrows and usually come out at night to feed or mate. Females live longer than males, sometimes as much as 20 years, while males only last around 10 years. Go figure.

READ MORE: 4 of the Most Haunted Places in Arkansas

Chocolate Brown Tarantulas Are Non-Aggressive to Humans

The chocolate brown tarantulas are non-aggressive or poisonous to humans. However, if they bite, it can be painful. Some people keep tarantulas as pets. For example, Pop superstar Billie Eilish used to own a pet tarantula named Cooli, a Green Bottle Blue tarantula, but it died in 2019 after living its lifespan.

So, when you are out trick-or-treating this Halloween, stay away from bushes and brush. If you spot one, you should leave it alone and let it pass.