Animal Crossing's Tarantulas And Scorpions Have Switched Places

Update: If you were playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons this weekend and wondering where tarantulas went, they are now out of season for players with Northern Hemisphere islands, replaced with the near-identical scorpion. If you have a Southern Hemisphere island, then you'll be saying hello to the tarantula for the first time, and the scorpion will be leaving until later this year. Both tarantulas and scorpions can be farmed similarly, so hit up our guides resources on tarantula farming for some tips. Original story follows...

If you have a Northern Hemisphere island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, this week is your last chance to catch tarantulas before they go out of season in May. The last day to catch tarantulas will be today, April 30. For many players, the eight-legged critters have been the most valuable bug you can catch since New Horizons launched in March, worth 8,000 bells on their own and 12,000 when sold to special visitor Flick. Crafty players have resorted to tarantula farming on deserted islands to get rich quick, but if you haven't had the chance or you're worried about losing a major income source for your island, don't worry--while the tarantula won't return until November, the nearly-identical scorpion will take its place until then. (If you have a Southern Hemisphere island, you'll be saying goodbye to the scorpion in May, which will be replaced with the tarantula.)

Why Catch Tarantulas?

There are a few reasons you should be scrambling to catch tarantulas last-minute, if you haven't already. If you're a completionist and haven't caught a tarantula at all yet, it'll be your last chance to log one into your Critterpedia and donate one to Blathers at the museum until they reappear in November. They're also the most valuable bug you can catch this season, if you're trying to make lots of bells. But an easily overlooked reason is Flick's bug model commissions--if you want Flick to craft a tarantula model, you need to bring him three tarantulas, and catching them out in the wild is the only way to obtain them without time travel. Tarantulas don't spawn on friends' islands when you're visiting, you can't trade bugs or fish with friends, and deserted islands won't spawn critters that aren't in season.

Animal Crossing Tarantula And Scorpion Differences

As stated previously, the scorpion will replace the tarantula for Northern Hemisphere players and the tarantula will replace the scorpion for Southern Hemisphere players on May 1. Both creatures have more in common in New Horizons than not. They are worth 8,000 bells and can be force-spawned and farmed. They are similarly hostile when approached with a net and will sting the player if provoked, causing you to pass out and wake up in front of your house, or the dock when on a deserted island Mystery Tour. They both have the same spawn conditions, but make slightly different sounds when crawling around.

Bug	Location	Time	Value
Tarantula	Ground	7 PM - 4 AM	8,000 bells
Scorpion	Ground	7 PM - 4 AM	8,000 bells

Fish and bugs go in and out of season each month in Animal Crossing. There are a combined 160 creatures to catch. For more on New Horizons, check out our guide on how Nature Day works.