New 'Spiders around the world' exhibition at the Butterfly Pavilion

NEWS RELEASE
BUTTERFLY PAVILION 
​​​​​​*************************

Just in time for Halloween, spiders are arriving from around the globe for a limited-time engagement, Spiders Around the World, exclusively at Butterfly Pavilion from Oct. 7 to 31. 

Guests will engage with stunning, vibrant, and awe-inspiring tarantulas and walk among visually striking, exquisite, and free-roaming Orb Weavers spinning their intricate webs in Spider Dome, including some from Malaysia that are as big as an adult human’s hand.

Spiders representing 20 countries will be on display including the captivating and seasonally appropriate Skeleton Tarantula and Colombian Pumpkin Patch Tarantula or visually striking Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula and the Cobalt Blue, hoping to inspire guests to view invertebrates with curiosity and wonder, and not fear, while learning about their critical contributions to our ecosystem. 

Beyond displaying tarantulas and other spiders in our zoo, Butterfly Pavilion has been involved in tarantula conservation efforts, including ecology and tarantula breeding, around the world since 2010 to help protect and conserve different species of tarantulas. Events such as Spiders Around the World help support these efforts.  Several species of tarantulas are threatened primarily due to habitat destruction and exploitation for the pet trade. In other words, they need our help now more than ever!

Despite their reputation as creepy, crawly villains, spiders are incredibly beneficial to our ecological system and serve a significant role in keeping many of our least favorite pests in check – like mosquitoes, flies, and fleas! They keep these nuisances out of our homes, yards, and gardens, and silk spiders inspired engineering innovations like bullet-proof clothing, parachutes, and nets.

To learn more or purchase tickets, visit: butterflies.org

About Butterfly Pavilion

Butterfly Pavilion has been part of the Colorado community since 1995 and is the first Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited, stand-alone, non-profit invertebrate zoo in the world, currently occupying a 30,000-square foot facility situated on an 11-acre campus provided by the City of Westminster, Colorado.

Butterfly Pavilion’s mission is to foster an appreciation of invertebrates by educating the public about the need to protect and care for threatened habitats globally, while conducting research for solutions in invertebrate conservation. Beyond Colorado and the United States, Butterfly Pavilion conservationists are doing important invertebrate conservation projects around the world from Mongolia and Saudi Arabia to Tanzania and Sumatra, Indonesia. 

More about Butterfly Pavilion’s Tarantula Efforts

BP is involved in tarantula conservation efforts around the world to help protect and conserve different species of tarantulas, including work with native species of tarantulas.  Tarantulas are a diverse group of arachnids in the family Theraphosidae. They are commonly kept in human care in zoos, nature centers, and by hobbyists around the world. BP maintains several species of tarantulas within its care.  Beyond displaying tarantulas in our zoo, BP is also involved in the following work:

Tarantula Ecology: Working with Colorado State University and the Southern Plains Land Trust, Butterfly Pavilion began a study in 2021 on burrow site selection by Oklahoma brown tarantulas in southeastern Colorado. This study examines the influence of soil, vegetation, livestock grazing, and populations of tarantula hawk wasps (which parasitize tarantulas) on the location and density of tarantula burrows. We analyze this information to inform conservation efforts for wild tarantula habitat.

Tarantula Breeding: Several species of tarantula are threatened primarily due to habitat destruction and exploitation for the pet trade. In response, Butterfly Pavilion has been conducting research and creating protocols for their breeding under human care since 2010. In 2021, Butterfly Pavilion continued its leadership of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) SWARM (Safety Web for Arthropod Reproductive Management) for the Chilean Rose Hair. Finally, Butterfly Pavilion contributed to the care of several individuals in the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental tarantula Species Survival Plan.  In 2022, we successfully bred pink-toed and Chaco golden-knee tarantulas (part of SWARM) and continue our tarantula ecology work. 

AZA Safety Web for Arthropod Reproductive Management (SWARM).

The AZA developed several animal care programs to facilitate collaboration in population management across institutions, including Species Survival Plans (SSPs) and Safety Webs for Arthropod Reproduction and Management (SWARMs). As part of BP’s contribution to invertebrate conservation, we participate in relevant AZA Animal Care Programs. Current programs involve 3 species of tarantula, including the Chilean rose tarantula, Grammostola rosea, SWARM. Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, Poecilotheria metallica, SSP and the Mexican red-knee tarantula, Brachypelma smithi, SSP.

In 2021, BP continued its leadership of the AZA SWARM for the Chilean rose hair tarantula and contributed to the care of several individuals in the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental tarantula Species Survival Plan. In spring 2022, BP successfully bred pink-toed and Chaco golden-knee tarantulas (part of SWARM). By studying the conditions needed for breeding different tarantula species, we can not only ensure the survival of the species, but also predict what environmental factors must be protected for the continuation of healthy, wild populations. 

*************************