Tarantulas live primarily in tropical and semi-tropical regions across every continent except Antarctica, occupying habitats that range from desert scrubland to dense rainforest canopy. The vast majority make their homes in burrows in the ground, under rocks, and beneath fallen trees. But the full picture is more varied than that. Depending on the species, a tarantula’s habitat might be a silk-lined tunnel half a meter underground, a web-covered tree hollow, or simply whatever shelter it can find on a given night.
Where Tarantulas Live Around the World
Tarantulas are found across the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and parts of southern Europe. The heaviest concentration of species lives in the tropical and neotropical zones of Central and South America. Mexico alone is home to at least 17 species in a single genus, spread across roughly a third of the country, with closely related species extending into Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Caribbean islands like Cuba and Martinique each have their own species as well.
In the United States, tarantulas are most common in the arid Southwest, including parts of Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. African tarantulas are concentrated in the southern and central parts of the continent, while Asian species range from India through Southeast Asia. Australia has its own lineage of tarantulas, sometimes called whistling or barking spiders. Across all these regions, tarantulas tend to favor warm climates where temperatures rarely drop below freezing for extended periods.
Three Types of Tarantula Habitat
Not all tarantulas use the same kind of shelter. Their habitats break into three broad categories based on where and how each species lives: underground, on the ground surface, or up in the trees.
Burrowing (Fossorial) Tarantulas
The most common habitat type is underground. Fossorial tarantulas dig burrows or take over abandoned mammal and reptile burrows, spending most of their time hidden below the surface and emerging mainly at night to hunt. Some species are obligate burrowers, meaning they almost never leave their tunnels voluntarily.
A typical burrow starts with a circular or elliptical opening and drops down as a vertical or angled shaft, often ending in a wider living chamber. Measurements of actual burrows show considerable variation: some are as shallow as 16 cm deep and 15 cm long, while larger species dig tunnels 40 to 60 cm in length and move sediment from depths of up to 50 cm. The openings and interior walls are lined with thin layers of silk, which serves a practical purpose. In sandy or loose soils especially, the silk webbing prevents dirt from trickling in and collapsing the structure. More complex burrows can have multiple chambers and more than one entrance.
Ground-Dwelling (Terrestrial) Tarantulas
Some tarantulas don’t maintain a permanent burrow at all. These species are sometimes called “vagabond” tarantulas because they wander at night and take refuge during the day in whatever shelter is available: a gap under a stone, a hollow in a tree root, a shallow cave, or a crevice in rock. They rely on the landscape to provide cover rather than engineering their own home. This lifestyle is common in species that live in rocky, uneven terrain where natural hiding spots are plentiful.
Tree-Dwelling (Arboreal) Tarantulas
A smaller but striking group of tarantulas lives above the ground in trees and shrubs. These species look noticeably different from their ground-dwelling relatives. Their feet have widened pads made up of thousands of tiny hairs that grip vertical surfaces, letting them climb bark and branches with ease. Many arboreal tarantulas build elaborate web structures among the branches, creating silk-tube retreats in tree hollows, between leaves, or under loose bark. One well-known example is a species from the Caribbean island of Martinique that lives in the semi-evergreen moist tropical forest canopy.
Habitat by Climate and Ecosystem
Tarantulas occupy a surprisingly wide range of ecosystems within those warm-climate zones. In the Americas, you’ll find them in tropical rainforests, dry deciduous forests, scrubby desert, grassland, and even cloud forests at higher elevations. Some Central American species live on small tropical islands covered in semi-evergreen moist forest. In Africa, burrowing tarantulas favor the drier savannas and grasslands of the southern regions.
The common thread across all these ecosystems is warmth and access to shelter. Tarantulas are cold-blooded, so they depend on ambient temperature to stay active. In the American Southwest, where temperatures swing dramatically between day and night, tarantulas retreat deep into burrows where conditions are more stable. In tropical forests, they benefit from consistently warm, humid air but still need physical cover from predators and rain.
Seasonal Changes in Behavior
Tarantulas don’t migrate in the traditional sense, but their habitat use shifts with the seasons. The most visible example happens in the fall across parts of Colorado and the American Southwest, when mature male tarantulas leave their burrows and walk long distances in search of females. This isn’t a true migration but a mating walkabout that depends on weather conditions. Males move during the window when temperatures are warm enough for activity but before the first frost, typically wrapping up by October when nights become too cold.
Females stay in or near their burrows year-round. After mating, they can store sperm and produce a clutch of up to 1,500 offspring when environmental conditions are favorable. During cold or dry seasons, many tarantula species seal their burrow entrances with silk and soil, entering a period of reduced activity until conditions improve. This makes the burrow not just a home but a climate-controlled refuge that buffers against seasonal extremes.
New World vs. Old World Habitats
Tarantula species are broadly divided into “New World” (the Americas) and “Old World” (Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia). While both groups use the same general habitat types, there are tendencies worth noting. New World tarantulas include a large number of terrestrial and burrowing species adapted to deserts and dry forests, though plenty of arboreal species exist in Central and South American rainforests. Old World tarantulas, particularly those in Africa, tend to be deep obligate burrowers or, in the case of Asian species, arboreal dwellers in tropical forests.
The distinction matters mostly for understanding behavior. Old World species generally lack the defensive hair-flicking ability that New World tarantulas use, so they rely more heavily on their burrows or tree retreats as a first line of defense. Their habitat isn’t just where they live; it’s a core part of how they survive.