The Purple Tree Tarantula (Avicularia purpurea), also called the Ecuadorian purple tarantula or Ecuador purple pinktoe, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). These spiders are present in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru in the Amazon region. Being an arboreal species, their nests are primarily built in tree hollows, sometimes in the vicinity of epiphytic plants. Purple tree tarantulas prey on crickets, cockroaches, meal worms, waxworms and darkling beetles, but they also can catch small rodents, lizards, and sometimes birds. During mating the females become very aggressive towards the males. A few months after mating the female lays up to 120 eggs in a cocoon. Six to eight weeks later between 50 and 120 nymphs hatch.