At a glance the quick version
Diagonal leg span, not body length. Wikipedia gives up to about 18 cm; The Tarantula Collective gives up to 6-7 in (15-18 cm) for females. Males are smaller.
Females are very long-lived, up to about 30 years per The Tarantula Collective; males have a much shorter life.
Looks how to spot one
Hairy exoskeleton (tarantula)
A heavy-bodied ground-dwelling tarantula covered in dense, velvety hair. Adults are almost completely jet black, with a soft sheen that makes them look like black velvet.1
Personality what they are like
One of the calmest tarantulas in the hobby. It tends to move slowly, rarely shows defensive behaviour and seldom flicks its hairs, preferring to walk away if disturbed. It is still best watched rather than handled.12
Daily activity how busy a day looks
A slow, steady spider that spends much of its time sitting near or in a burrow. It grows slowly and can take up to about eight years to reach adulthood.12
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Keep a shallow water dish filled at all times. Leave it alone while moulting and remove uneaten food. Feed adults roughly every 2-3 weeks, juveniles every 7-10 days and spiderlings about twice a week.2
Home where they are happiest
A terrestrial enclosure about 3-5 times the spider's leg span, filled one half to two thirds with substrate so it can burrow. The Tarantula Collective suggests room temperature of about 20-23 C, with adults kept mostly dry apart from one lightly dampened area.2
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Company who they like around
A solitary spider; keep one per enclosure.2
The story where it all began
Mello-Leitão described the species in 1921 from Brazil. Export of wild animals from Brazil is not allowed, so the spiders in the hobby come from captive breeding, and their slow growth means adult females are prized.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
Recognised by the official bits
- World Spider Catalog (via Wikipedia)
- Accepted species Grammostola pulchra Mello-Leitão, 1921 (family Theraphosidae).1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Brazilian Black Tarantula. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Humidity checkevery 2 days
- Water dishevery 2 days
- FeedingDepends on species, size and moult stagevaries
- Spot cleanRemove leftover foodevery week
- Moult noteLeave them in peace while moulting and note it in the diaryvaries
- Substrate changeevery 6 months
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Grammostola pulchra (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.orgused for names, origin, size, colour, temperament, growth, diet, history, export ban
- Grammostola pulchra care sheet (The Tarantula Collective) thetarantulacollective.comused for leg span, lifespan, enclosure, temperature, humidity, feeding
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.