Avicularia avicularia

Pinktoe Tarantula

This pinktoe record is separate from the Antilles pinktoe profile.

Reference photo, not the individual on display. Credits appear below.

Care commitment Identify first

Habitat Check individual records

Visiting Observe only

Meet your new acquaintance

Nickname Pinktoe Tarantula

Arboreal · elevated silk retreat

An elevated silk retreat, climbing surfaces and toe colours reward quiet observation. The broad name pinktoe can refer to different spiders.

Species stories

The picture behind a bird-eating reputation

Eighteenth-century natural-history art helped make bird-eating spiders memorable. Maria Sibylla Merian placed pinktoe-type spiders, birds and other animals within a South American scene.

A painting is not a modern diet survey, nor a secure identification of the exact Avicularia species depicted. A bird in the image does not make birds the everyday staple of all tarantulas.

The history connects observation, art and public imagination; modern evidence adds invertebrate prey, silk retreats and moulting to complete the picture.

Story sources:

At a glance

The pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia) is native to parts of South America and Trinidad and Tobago. Pale pink toe tips contrast with its dark body. Branches, bark crevices and elevated silk retreats form a three-dimensional space for resting, moving and withdrawing.

Elevated silk retreats connect trunks, supports and shelter. Silk also transmits vibrations, making a still animal part of an information-rich environment.

It feeds mainly on suitable invertebrates and grows through moulting, with changing appearance and proportions. Elevated living is not constant exposure: silk retreats provide cover between activity and waiting. Following a branch to a retreat entrance connects its distinctive toes with climbing and habitat use.

Common names Pinktoe Tarantula

Scientific name Avicularia avicularia

Native rangeParts of South America and Trinidad and Tobago

Adult sizeAdult leg span commonly about 12–15 cm, not body length

ActivityUses trunks and elevated silk retreats; explores in darker periods

Diet Offer appropriately sized insects where prey can be encountered near the retreat. Do not leave feeders beside a moulting spider; remove them and maintain water access and ventilation.

Habitat & care

Provide upright cork, foliage and elevated web anchors, with drinking water and cross-ventilation. Avoid persistently stagnant, wet conditions.

Values guide routine care, not breeding or brumation. Dimensions are length × width × height for one adult unless stated otherwise; larger animals need more space.

TemperatureDaytime air 21–27°C Measure enclosure air; avoid direct sun and contact heaters. Remove live prey during moulting and do not use strong heat to speed growth.

HumidityReference 60–70% The cited keeper also warns against chasing RH; prioritize clean water and cross-ventilation without stagnant wet air.

LightingDay–night cycle and shelter Do not apply a reptile-style hot basking point or an unsupported UVI target. Retain a quiet silk retreat, normal day–night rhythm and cross-ventilation.

Space30×30×45 cm Recommended adult single-animal starting recommendation; provide upright cork, foliage, high web anchors and escape-proof ventilation.

Look a little closer

Find the pale pink toe tips and examine their contact with bark or a branch. Trace silk from the retreat entrance to upper and side anchors. During emergence, watch the front legs explore while the rear legs maintain support.

Care note: Until species and origin are confirmed, use a care plan based on verified individual records.

About this profile

Avicularia avicularia and Caribena versicolor are distinct species. Pinktoe is also used for similar tarantulas; individual identification needs reliable provenance and morphology, rather than a reference image.

Profile status: Pending verification · Reviewed 2026-10-20

References (4)

Photo: Reference image; it does not establish the species identity of an individual. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avicularia_avicularia.jpg CC BY 4.0

Behaviour notes describe the species, not a promise about every individual. These care notes introduce its needs; ask our team about the animal on display and any supervised encounters.