Gooty Sapphire Ornamental (Poecilotheria Metallica)

This tarantula is not for beginners. Without a doubt one of the most beautiful tarantulas in the world, The Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula, sometimes called the Gooty Ornamental (although it’s not actually from Gooty, India) is still one of the most sought-after species for almost every tarantula hobbyist. Starting out as boring grey-ish purple slings, females will mature in to a flurry of blues, whites and yellows that keep your eyes glued. The males are smaller and aren’t as brightly coloured but still very colourful. Mature male Poecilotheria metallica also do not possess tibial hooks/spurs.

They have the best temperament of all the pokies (Poecilotheria genus), known to hunker down and wait for danger to pass or possibly run, rather than throw a threat pose or show any aggression. This doesn’t mean they’re not capable of getting defensive or delivering a very painful bite so always respect them and practice caution as their bite is significantly unpleasant.