Are tarantulas spiders? The short answer is, yes. Tarantulas are spiders. Tarantulas belong to an infraorder of the spider order called mygalomorphae. As such, tarantulas are spiders, but they’re not considered “true spiders.”
What does that mean? Let’s explore!
Are Tarantulas Spiders: The Truth About the Difference Between Tarantulas and Spiders
To offer a more detailed and accurate answer to the question of whether or not tarantulas are spiders, it’s first necessary to understand a bit more about the araneae—or Spider—family of arachnids.
Araneae is an order of the arachnid family. Now, if you’re like most people, images of spiders are probably the first things that pop into your head when you think of “arachnids.” The arachnid family, however, is quite broad and includes other joint-legged invertebrates, such as:
- Scorpions
- Pseudoscorpions (a.k.a. “False scorpion”)
- Ticks
- Mites
- Daddy Longlegs
- Spiders
Many of these orders of arachnid are further classified into “suborders” or “infraorders.” For example, did you know that there’s actually four suborders of Daddy Longlegs, each suborder containing numerous distinct families? All counted together, there are around 60 families of Daddy Longlegs, each with its own unique characteristics!
The aranea, or spider, family is classified into three different infraorders:
- Mesothelae
- Mygalomorphae
- Araneomorphae
Of these three infraorders, the largest by far is the araneomorphae, making up over 90% of the spider population. The oldest and smallest infraorder is the mesothelae, with only one extant family still in existence and a fossil record that dates the infraorder to 300 million years ago.
Then there is the mygalomorphae infraorder. This is the infraorder to which tarantulas belong. Other spiders belonging to this order include Australian funnel-web spiders and trapdoor spiders.
What Is a True Spider?
The araneomorphae infraorder of spiders are commonly referred to as “true spiders.” This infraorder is what you probably think of when you think of spiders. It includes species like:
- Garden Spider
- American House Spider
- Brown Recluse
- Black Widow
- Wolf Spider
- Jumping Spider
- Yellow Sac Spider
The distinct features of “true spiders” include pincer-like fangs and a complex system of web-weaving, which they use for catching their prey.
Why Isn’t a Tarantula a True Spider?
Tarantulas, on the other hand, are part of the mygalomorphae infraorder of spiders. They are considered a more primitive cousin to the “true spider,” and are distinct from them in a number of ways. These include:
- A larger, bulkier build.
- Downward-facing fangs.
- Urticating hairs.
- Non-sticky webs used for lining burrows and detecting the movements of their prey.
- Hunting by ambush rather than capture.
Additionally, contrary to how they’re portrayed in pop-culture, tarantulas are not particularly dangerous. Unlike several highly venomous “true spider” species, like the Brown Recluse or the Black Widow, most tarantula bites are about as painful and as harmful as bee stings.
Tarantulas also only live in warmer climates, whereas “true spiders” can be found all over the world in all sorts of climates.
Finally, tarantulas have much longer lifespans than “true spiders.” A long-living “true spider” will only live for two or three years. In contrast, many species of tarantula are known to live for 20 to 30 years!
Takeaway: Are tarantulas spiders? Absolutely. They belong to the mygalomorphae infraorder of the spider family. However, tarantulas are distinct from “true spiders” – members of the araneomorphae infraorder of the spider family – in several ways; most notably their downward-facing fangs and non-sticky webs.
