--- description: And now for the most terrifying science news of the day: a new study shows that tarantulas move faster in warmer weather. title: Spiders Run Faster in Warm Weather, Study Shows image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22767098b0d6cd59/69878667cd1bbae7b56f5fd4/tarantula.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [spiders](/tag/spiders/) ## spiders Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Spiders Run Faster in Warm Weather, Study Shows  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 2, 2015 2:53 PM CUT  A worker of the Chapultepec Zoo shows a pink tarantula (Grammostola Rosea) on March 19, 2015 in Mexico City. A worker of the Chapultepec Zoo shows a pink tarantula (Grammostola Rosea) on March 19, 2015 in Mexico City.Yuri Cortez—AFP/Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 2, 2015 2:53 PM CUT And now for the most terrifying science news of the day: a new study shows that tarantulas move [faster in warmer weather](http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/04/spider-speed-increases-temperature-rises "undefined"). A study published in _The Journal of Experimental Biology_ tested Texas brown tarantulas’ speeds in a variety of temperatures, [_Science Magazine_ ](http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/04/spider-speed-increases-temperature-rises "undefined")[from AAAS reports](http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/04/spider-speed-increases-temperature-rises "undefined"). The hotter the temperature, the faster the spiders scuttled. Speeds at the warmest temperature tested—40°C (104°F)—were 2.5 times faster than speeds at the coldest—15°C (59°F). The reason for the spiders’ temperature sensitivity has to do with the fact that their eight legs are not controlled by muscles. Instead, a hydraulic fluid called hemolymph courses through the appendages to make them flex and extend, and the flow of the fluid is sensitive to temperature. So arachnophobes, beware of the desert. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3768914/tarantula-fast-warm-weather/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3768914/tarantula-fast-warm-weather/"},"headline":"Spiders Run Faster in Warm Weather, Study Shows","datePublished":"2015-04-02T14:53:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:39:23.708Z","description":"Looking forward to spring?","url":"https://time.com/3768914/tarantula-fast-warm-weather/","keywords":["spiders","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22767098b0d6cd59/69878667cd1bbae7b56f5fd4/tarantula.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt22767098b0d6cd59/69878667cd1bbae7b56f5fd4/tarantula.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MEXICO-NATURE-TARANTULA","caption":"MEXICO-NATURE-TARANTULA","creditText":"Yuri Cortez—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/spiders/","name":"spiders"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3768914/tarantula-fast-warm-weather/","name":"Spiders Run Faster in Warm Weather, Study Shows"}}]}] ```