Captive Tarantula Breeding Program
 

Conservation is at the heart of the Butterfly Pavilion, and now with the Butterfly Pavilion’s new Captive Tarantula Breeding program zookeepers will be able to contribute to the conservation of one of the most misunderstood arachnids.

In March of 2010, Butterfly Pavilion zookeepers Jaime Bain, Troy Miller, and Chad Haines began the monumental task of breeding captive tarantulas as part of a research project to create a breeding protocol that outlines the specifics (the what, where, when, and how) of breeding, and to contribute to a growth study of tarantulas.

The breeding program was designed to provide educational opportunities for zookeepers and visitors, as well as the conservation of wild animals.

“The Butterfly Pavilion is hoping to sustain a variety of species, both endangered and non-endangered, in hopes of helping to maintain captive populations to decrease the desire for poaching,” expressed Miller.

There are no published growth studies of the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula, Grammostola rosea. The Butterfly Pavilion is very excited for the study and will be able to report some growth trends by the end of the year. The growth study will be ongoing for the next five to seven years. G. rosea tarantulas are slow-growing invertebrates.

The Butterfly Pavilion captive tarantula-breeding program experienced its first success in April of 2010 when the breeding team mated two G. rosea tarantulas. “Diana” and “Cassanova” (the breeding pair) produced an egg sac with over 300 spiderlings.

The Butterfly Pavilion captive tarantula-breeding program experienced its second major success in July of 2010 when the breeding team opened the Chaco Goldenstripe, Grammostola aureostriata, tarantula egg sac and discovered it was viable and had several spiderlings and eggs. The Butterfly Pavilion Curator, Mary Ann Hamilton counted 97 spiderlings (eggs with legs) and nine eggs. The count was slightly down because of loss due to damaged eggs causing mold growth within the egg sac.

The Chaco Goldenstripe tarantula was chosen for the breeding program and growth study because of their threatened status and because it’s a close relative to the Chilean Rose Hair tarantula. Chaco Goldenstripe tarantulas are extraordinarily docile and are popular as pets because of they are easy to care for.

Wild-caught Chaco Goldenstripe adults used to be so prevalent in the pet trade that very few breeders focused their efforts on reproducing the species. But then Paraguay closed the export of wildlife and the adults became scarce. Chaco Goldenstripe are difficult to breed because they take up to seven to ten years to mature. Several dozen species of tarantulas are deemed “threatened” or “endangered” by C.I.T.E.S. (the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) because of habitat destruction and/or poaching. Poaching is fueled by the exploitation of wild species for the pet trade. Females are sought after because they burrow and are longer-lived than males, while males tend to travel and are harder to locate. The over-collection or poaching of females impacts populations that cannot be maintained by males alone.

The team is currently breeding tarantulas in the Genus Brachypelma species which are also protected under C.I.T.E.S. To learn more about the Butterfly Pavilion's captive tarantula breeding program please visit www.butterflies.org.

Who: The Butterfly Pavilion Tarantula Breeding Program
What: Tarantula breeding program as an educational and conservation tool
When: Ongoing
Why: To maintain a captive population to scientific observation and trading to minimize poaching
For more information, please contact: MaryAnn Hamilton at mhamilton@butterflies.org.