Tarantulas will only bite humans when they are threatened by them. If you leave a tarantula alone, it will never attack you on its own. But even if you handle a tarantula, it is very uncommon for it to bite you, as long as you’re gentle with it.

Let’s jump deeper into the hunting weapon of this fascinating create: its bite.

Do tarantulas bite or sting?

First of all, let’s set the record straight on a common misconception about spiders.

As opposed to the beliefs of some, tarantulas do not sting – they bite. In fact, all spiders bite rather than sting.

Tarantulas have two large teeth that are curled inwards and can grow up to about half an inch. They are mygalomorphs, which means their fangs point downwards instead of being positioned to pinch their prey, like other spiders do.

Do Tarantulas bite humans often?

Another misconception is that spiders bite regularly. This is not the case.

Spiders in general almost never bite humans. They have no interest in it as we are no prey to them. In the seldom case that they do bite, it is usually because of an unfortunate circumstance such as the spider residing in a shoe and getting stuck between it and our foot.

While there are some aggressive spider species, tarantulas are not typically included in such classification.

As long as you leave a spider alone, or handle it very gently, you have no reason to be afraid of being bitten by a spider, and certainly not a tarantula.

Are pet tarantulas likely to bite their owners?

There is no biological difference between wild tarantulas and tarantulas kept in captivity, and as such pet tarantulas are not innately more likely to bite the pet owner than a wild tarantula would.

Pet tarantulas can even grow accustomed to being handled by their owner, and may be less likely to bite than a wild tarantula would.

So in general, tarantula pets should not bite their owners.

Please bear in mind that tarantulas are fragile creatures and should be handled with utmost care because they can get hurt.

Are tarantula bites venomous?

Yes, tarantula bites are venomous, but the venom is not very strong. 

Tarantulas use their fangs to inject venom into their prey to kill it. The creatures upon which tarantulas prey, are very small. As such a tarantula bite poses no real real threat to humans and no human has ever been killed to date because of a tarantula bite.

Are tarantula bites dangerous?

As we just said, the venom of a tarantula bite has never killed a human. The poison is simply too weak to do that. 

In some cases, however, people can be allergic to tarantula bites. No allergic person has ever been killed by a tarantula bite either, but the symptoms of the bite can occur more profoundly in such case.

How much do tarantula bites hurt?

Not that much. Of course, it is an unpleasant feeling that you wish to avoid. If you’re among the few people that has ever been bitten by a tarantula, you’ll know that it only hurts about as much as a bee sting.

Sure, tarantulas may be more scary than a bee, but knowing that their bite only hurts about as much as a sting of a bee will surely give you the courage to handle them.

What tarantula species bite is the most dangerous?

The Fringed ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria) is known to have an extraordinarily painful bite. While the rule of thumb holds true that tarantula bites typically don’t hurt more than a bee sting, you should be well advised not to put that rule to the test with this species.

As long as your pet tarantula isn’t of this species, you can rest assured that you will be fine when handling your pet tarantula.

And don’t worry – we didn’t include it in our list of best beginner friendly tarantulas!

The bottom line

So there you have it! You’ve learned that tarantulas bite and don’t sting. You also learned that it is very rare for a tarantula to bite and that it is safe to have them as a pet, that their bite is venomous but not so much that it can kill a human, that the tarantula bite is comparable in the pain it causes to a bee sting, and that you should avoid getting bitten by one tarantula species in particular – the Fringed ornamental tarantula.