The Sri Lankan Ornamental is a large, aggressive tarantula native to India. Because they are quite aggressive, and slightly more toxic then other tarantulas they should only be kept by experienced individuals.

Primarily arboreal, mature Sri Lankan Ornamentals are solitary animals that make their homes in the trees of the tropical forests in their native Sri Lanka. In fact, they are known as "Tree-Spiders" in their native land. The spiderlings, however, are known to live and feed socially in "scrapes" or burrows on the ground. They are very fast moving and generally feed on insects and small vertebrates. They require high humidity levels and fairly high temperatures. These tarantulas should not be handled as they are very aggressive and toxic. If you are looking for a tarantula that you can handle this is not the species for you. But they are very beautiful and are a wonderful species to view. These are very unpredictable tarantulas so while some of their behavior may be described as the norm, there is never any guarantee about how they will behave in any given situation. They are generally shy when their aquariums are opened for feedings or cleaning, and they will usually retreat. On occasion, however, they may move very quickly to escape and/or bite. For this reason tank cleaning should be done only in a small room such as a bathroom so that if they do escape they will be easier to recover. These are not tarantulas for beginners.

A beautiful spider, the Sri Lankan Ornamental has a dark abdomen with a black-edged cream band across the center. They also have oblique markings on the abdomen. The carapace is primarily gray, with cream markings. The legs are black and white striped, with yellow underneath the first two. They use these yellow markings to ward off potential attackers. The Sri Lankan Ornamental averages 18 centimeters, or 7 to 8 inches in leg span.

Latreille first described the Sri Lankan Ornamental in 1804.

Because the Sri Lankan Ornamental is an arboreal tarantula, it requires a tall tank with branches, etc. to build web tubes in. They should also be misted frequently and given an open water dish, to maintain 80% humidity. The temperature should be between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. It is essential to keep the air fresh, however, as stagnant air can lead to deaths in captivity.

The bite of this tarantula is reported to be fatal to many varieties of cats and dogs, and care must be taken to prevent escapes for this reason.

There is currently no special breeding information in our databases for this animal. To submit breeding / propagation information that is specific to this animal please click here.