Sri Lanka Tarantulas (Poecilotheria) in the US

Information, Old World, Poecilotheria, Taxonomy No Comments »

USFWS has posted their final rule regarding five species of Sri Lankan tarantulas (Poecilotheria). The species below will be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The rule becomes effective on August 30, 2018.

Poecilotheria smithi

1. Poecilotheria fasciata;
2. P. ornata;
3. P. smithi;
4. P. subfusca;
5. P. vittata.

Summary regarding the future domestic trade of these species. The below activities are prohibited under ESA:

■ Interstate and foreign commercial activity;
■ Selling or offering for sale in interstate or foreign commerce;
■ Import or export (without a permit from FWS for conservation purposes);
■ Possess, ship, deliver, carry, transport, sell or receive unlawfully taken wildlife.

Intrastate Commerce and Possession are legal:

Commercial activities that take place entirely in one state involving legally acquired and captive-bred endangered or threatened species are not prohibited by the ESA. This means you may keep and/or breed ESA-listed species.

Offer for Sale:

Endangered and threatened species may be advertised for sale but the advertisement must state that no sale may not occur until an interstate commerce permit (Captive Bred Wildlife, or CBW, permit) has been obtained from the Service for both parties involved. CBW permits are now rarely, if ever, provided to anyone outside of professional zoological institutions.

Full source: here

Credit to: USARK

Photo Credit: Tom Patterson

Fringed Ornamental Tarantula (Poecilotheria ornata)

Old World, Poecilotheria No Comments »

The Fringed Ornamental Tarantula is an Old World species native of the Sri Lanka forests. It is a very large arboreal tarantula with full grown adults reaching a length of 10+ inches. It is considered one of the largest of pokies. Poecilotheria comes from the Greek word poikilos which means spotted, therion which means wild beast and ornata which means adorned.

P.ornata

 

Habitat:

The Fringed Ornamental is an arboreal species that spends most of its time up in trees and plants in the wild. Your enclosure should be about 10 gallons in size and needs to have more height then width. Substrate should be very damp to produce enough humidity for this species. Humidity levels should be anywhere from 75 to 85 percent and temperatures should be about 78 to 83 degrees. A long piece of bark should be added to provide your pokie a hide and something for it to climb on. A clean water dish should also always be available at all times. Due to high humidity levels in the enclosure be sure to keep a close look out for mold or fungus as this can be common in the enclosure. Should you see any, waste no time in providing enough maintenance to clean up the enclosure.

 

Feeding:

A steady diet of crickets and large b.dubia cockroaches should be fine for this tarantula. They are insectivores and have been known to eat locusts, moths and other types of insects. Feeding should be kept at once a week and should not be an issue as these guys are great eaters.

 

Attitude:

Pokies are very defensive and from experience this one might just be the most aggressive out of all of them. Your Fringed Ornamental is very defensive and are known to strike fast. They do produce one of the worst venom of all tarantulas with victims experiencing immense pain, muscle cramps, fever like symptoms, vomiting, blurry eyes and even shortness of breath. Even though the toxins in its venom are not lethal it can still easily induce a quick trip to the E.R. We do not recommend the handling of this species at all, not even by the most experienced of hobbyists.

 

Do not let the Fringed Ornamental Tarantula’s aggressiveness of this species scare you, it is a great tarantula and a must have for any experienced keeper’s collection. Do you have a P. ornata? Tell us your story and comment down below!


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