Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to Catch Tarantulas

Animal Crossing New Horizons is a super chill island getaway experience where you'll hang out with pals, build beautiful bridges, and spend your days soaking in the sun. It's also home to some of the scariest spiders I've ever encountered in a game, and if they catch you you'll pass out and be sent back to your house. It's worth your while to be brave and catch tarantulas however, as they are one of the best ways to make money early on in the game. Begrudgingly then, we'll explain how to approach these eight-legged harbingers of death and more importantly, how to catch them.

On this page:

• How to Catch Tarantulas
• What Happens if a Tarantula Bites You?
• How Much Are Tarantulas Worth?

How to Catch Tarantulas

To catch tarantulas in Animal Crossing you will need to equip a net and start wandering around at night. From time to time you'll bump unto a tarantula, so stop where you are and do the following:

1. Approach the tarantula slowly by holding A, until it raises its front legs in a defensive stance
2. Stop until it lowers them again, then approach
3. Only move when its legs are down, until it's in range of your net
4. Release A and you'll catch it.

What Happens if a Tarantula Bites You?

The bad part about trying to catch tarantulas is that there's a good chance you'll get bitten. This is the same as taking two wasp stings (more on that here) and you'll immediately faint and be taken back home. You won't lose anything, but the tarantula will be gone.

How Much Are Tarantulas Worth?

We mentioned in our Bells guide that tarantulas are actually worth a surprising amount of money. Each tarantula you sell will get you 8,000 Bells, a lot of money early on in the game. Just follow the steps above and you'll be able to catch tarantulas every time you come across them.

In case you missed it, Mat did a great write up outlining the changes to The Able Sisters' store. For a look at what we thought of the game as a whole, read Caty's review.