How long do spiders live?

For years and years people have been afraid of spiders and their multiple legs and eyes. And although that can be reasonable in some cases (you know, since there are some deadly spiders), most of them are actually harmless.

However, today we’re not going to talk about which ones are good and which ones aren’t, but rather about their very short lifespan, and how long to they usually get to live.

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Spiders lifespan

Spiders lifespan

First, let’s start off by saying that there are many different types of spiders in the world. So defining how long spiders live can be quite challenging.

However, they aren’t known for their longevity, and they actually have a rather short lifespan. You see, spiders tend to live anywhere from 1 to 25 years, depending on the species we’re talking about.

Not many species make it pass the 3 year mark, making them have a very short, quick lifespan that circles around 1 to 3 years tops, with only a few making it up to 25.

How long do spiders live in the wild?

Spiders can live anywhere, and we mean that. They can live in forest, in deserts, in the sand in the beach, and even in our own houses. Depending on the type of spider, you can find one almost anywhere.

This significantly reduces their lifespan, since they are constantly in presence of multiple natural predators, including us, humans. Which makes their life expectancy drop from 1 to 2 years, 4 tops.

Like we said, spiders have a lot of natural predators such as: small and big birds, frogs, snakes and even humans, all much bigger animals, and all vary capable of killing them at any second.

How long do spiders live in captivity?

Believe it or not, spiders can live a very long life in captivity, being able to easily surpass the 3 year mark (again, this completely depends on the type of spider).

Of course, this is due to various different reasons, one spiders in captivity are being taken care of properly, they follow their natural diet (eating ants, flies, mosquitoes and even bees), and they’re kept in places that naturally simulate their old habitat, being away from any type of predators.

Keep in mind: spiders don’t tend to live very long (in exception of some species), so don’t have very high hopes of spiders living a long life, because chances are they won’t.

Life expectancy of spiders according to the species

Barn funnel weaver/Domestic house spider

1 year.

Tarantulas

How long do spiders live?

These are the type of spider with the longest lifespan, with an average life expectancy from 15 to 25 years.

Brown recluse spider

Can live from 1 to 2 years.

Black widow

Can live anywhere from 1 to 3 years.

Cupboard spider/Dark comb-footed spider/Brown house spider/False black widow

5 to 6 years.

Chilean tiger spider

1 year.

Chilean recluse spider

1 year.