@Scarab....yeah the number is a bit of a stab in the dark as it is one of those numbers decided on and agreed to by the "scientist" people, so the possibility is that we are close to the end. The only merit it has is the length of time spiders have been studied vs other species that have been studied, but again the number could be anything.

Marula wrote:

Every successful crossbreeding between two species equals a breeding lost on the pure species. So, yes, in my opinion it will lessen their numbers.... and add to the confusion of tarantulas in the pet trade.

I would think so to, well according to my zoology of species and specifically spiders is it a big problem in mating habits and numbers of a species....

Jakes wrote:

@Scarab....yeah the number is a bit of a stab in the dark as it is one of those numbers decided on and agreed to by the "scientist" people, so the possibility is that we are close to the end. The only merit it has is the length of time spiders have been studied vs other species that have been studied, but again the number could be anything.

Jakes... one thing can be said... scientists can put reasons in books, but at the end it is always just a nother theory....

I am not for this.

Although the "scientist" in me would love to see what would come out if you crossed a P.Metallica with a B.Smithi, or an OBT with a Nhandu Chromatus (Probabaly impossible, I am simply very creative and I can just imagine what colour combinations are possible).

HOWEVER, sacrificing the integrity of a species DNA or scientific make-up is not worth any amount of colours. Everyone with a little knowledge on Tarantulas knows one HUGE fact, that we still know NOTHING about them.

We have learned how to keep and breed a good few of them in captivity, and are able to re-create their home environments with gadgetry, but no-one on this Planet has an intimate understanding of more than a handful of the naturally occurring species compared to what's out there.

Unless someone can prove that hybridizing species helps in some or other way to understand naturally occurring tarantulas more... I think all we are doing is adding too much salt to the soup.

HS