Tarantula among “World’s 100 Rarest Species”

[findi]

Hi All,
A unique list of species facing imminent extinction was released by the Zoological Society of London at the recent (September, 2012) World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea. Included were a number of reptiles, amphibians and a tarantula. As a former member of several IUCN Species Survival Commissions, I was eager to learn the current thinking on the world’s most threatened creatures. I’ll summarize below…any opinions you may have concerning “passed over” species would be most appreciated (please post below).
I’ve worked with several animals given the dubious honor of “World’s Rarest”, including the Batagur Turtle and Jamaican Iguana, and was heartened to see that zoos and private individuals are still contributing mightily to their protection. However, many of listed species are poorly-studied, and draw few supporters. Unfortunately, two such creatures that I’ve cared for in the past – the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail and the Tanzanian Spray Toad – are now extinct in the wild. Read article here http://bitly.com/WwegMu.
Comments and questions appreciated. As I do not place notices here each time I post a new article on That Reptile Blog, you may wish to check in periodically or subscribe; you can do so here http://bitly.com/JJNk9h. Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj.

Thanks, Frank
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[peterUK]

No list of the 100 rarest species ?

 

[findi]

No list of the 100 rarest species ?

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the heads-up; IUCN seems to have removed the list (for some reason!). Here's a link to the list, which was published elsewhere as well. I'll ask my site administrators to fix the article reference, Best, Frank

 

[peterUK]

Thank you

 

[cmack91]

Crazy, I had no idea the P. metallica is criticly endangered. According to wikipedia their native range is less than 100 square kilometers. That's insane. I actually feel grateful that they're in captivity so I can enjoy their magnificence some day. At the same time though it's sad knowing that they're diminishing in the wild.

Thanks for the link.

 

[goodyt]

Crazy, I had no idea the P. metallica is criticly endangered. According to wikipedia their native range is less than 100 square kilometers. That's insane. I actually feel grateful that they're in captivity so I can enjoy their magnificence some day. At the same time though it's sad knowing that they're diminishing in the wild.

Thanks for the link.

I heard that the P metallica is doing well in the hobby and that there have been reintroductions of captive species before back into the wild, but because of human development and explorations (aka: tourism) of the area might lead us to need to find a new site to do so.

 

[peterUK]

I heard that the P metallica is doing well in the hobby and that there have been reintroductions of captive species before back into the wild, but because of human development and explorations (aka: tourism) of the area might lead us to need to find a new site to do so.

Have you any proof of this ? Scientific papers ? Journal or Newspaper links or is this just something you've heard of in the local pet store. ?

This is something that just ISNT going to happen without a captive population being kept under laboratory condition for a few years and each and every spider being DNA profiled to make sure that the gene pool of the P metallica in the lab hasnt been crossed with other species, and then there will be squillions of miles of red tape and meetings of goverment agencies etc. Basically, no chance at all for a good many years yet of P metallica being reintroduced back into the wild.

 

[findi]

Crazy, I had no idea the P. metallica is criticly endangered. According to wikipedia their native range is less than 100 square kilometers. That's insane. I actually feel grateful that they're in captivity so I can enjoy their magnificence some day. At the same time though it's sad knowing that they're diminishing in the wild.

Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the feedback; I'm guessing that the range info is just a rough estimate, funds tight these days, esp. for invert field research. Hopefully more will turn up, but then again range could be even smaller. Best, Frank

 

[paassatt]

That link has the common name for Poecilotheria metallica listed as "Peacock Parachute Spider"...:?

I've always been against using common names, and this is another reason why. Most people in the hobby, if they use common names, would tell you that the one for P. metallica is "Gooty Ornamental".

 

[pouchedrat]

OMG the Chittenango snail is now extinct?!?!? I remember it at Chittenango falls when I was a kid! I lived RIGHT next to Chittenango growing up, and remember going to the falls regularly.

 

[findi]

OMG the Chittenango snail is now extinct?!?!? I remember it at Chittenango falls when I was a kid! I lived RIGHT next to Chittenango growing up, and remember going to the falls regularly.

Hi,

Small world! The NYDEC still lists it as endangered (see here); however, our (Bx Zoo) surveys and subsequent ones indicate that only the competing snail is present. Individuals were almost surely overlooked, but the much higher reproductive rate of the competitor likely means that the C. O. Amber Snail is no longer present. Better to list as endangered for now, so that funds may remain available. I'm no longer involved in the program, and the colony at the Bx Zoo has been transferred to another zoo, but they were breeding regularly. Reintroductions seem unlikely, due to difficulty of removing the competitor, Best, Frank

 

[goodyt]

Have you any proof of this ? Scientific papers ? Journal or Newspaper links or is this just something you've heard of in the local pet store. ?

This is something that just ISNT going to happen without a captive population being kept under laboratory condition for a few years and each and every spider being DNA profiled to make sure that the gene pool of the P metallica in the lab hasnt been crossed with other species, and then there will be squillions of miles of red tape and meetings of goverment agencies etc. Basically, no chance at all for a good many years yet of P metallica being reintroduced back into the wild.

I don't actually care to give up any sources on this, but the idea of reintroduction is enticing to say the least, even if it takes years.

 

[Tarac]

I'm actually a little surprised that it is the only one that appears on the list from the genus Poecilotheria. I was sure that at least one of the other species was even more endangered.

 

[findi]

I'm actually a little surprised that it is the only one that appears on the list from the genus Poecilotheria. I was sure that at least one of the other species was even more endangered.

Hi, There are others, as you suggest. List is, I believe, more or less for popular audience, to alert folks, perhaps draw support. Special interest groups. etc. focus on individual groups,species. I believe there was an Am Zoo Association taxon avisory group being formed for Poecilotheria and related species, have not checked for updates recently, best, Frank

 

[Tarac]

Ah, ok. Makes sense that metallica is the one on there then. I thought Poecilotheria tigrinawesseli was more threatened in the wild and less represented in the hobby, do you know if that is true? Thought the same of P. smithi too.