My Tarantulas!

I no longer update this page because I've moved and no longer collect tarantulas. I also don't do link exchanges, so stop asking. I'm sorry that you can't be bothered to earn your page rank honestly.

Who's this 'Phong' fellow? My name is actually Tom Schumm, not Phong. Phong is just my BBS handle that I've kept around from back in "The Day". I'm not from Korea either. Sorry for any confusion.

Welcome to my tarantula page. I currently have 55 tarantulas in my closet along with a handful of true spiders, centipedes and other bugs. I'll try to keep this page updated with current pictures and information about them. You can find some specific information on the links to the left. Some general information is available in my pseudo-FAQ. If you want the details of all the latest tarantula events check out the what's new section below or the tarantula diary. To see the latest pictures, check out the photo album and the recent pictures. For news or info on any of my breeding projects, check out my breeding projects page. If you're looking for links to other pages, tarantula vendors, or where to by cork bark, check out the links page. I've also moved my wish list to a separate page, and have a page recounting the effects of tarantula bites.

I'll also soon have an article on sexing tarantulas (using a shed skin), a beginner's guide to tarantulas and a general tarantula care guide.

With the number of spiders (and the resulting number of pages), it's becoming difficult to keep everything on every page recent, so forgive outdated information or errors. I strive to be as scientifically accurate as possible, but I am by no means an authority (i.e. don't consider this page any sort of authoritative reference). If you spot any errors (scientific or otherwise), broken links, or have suggestions to improve the page, feel free to send me an e- mail.

Most pictures were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera and later maniuplated in Photoshop. I have higher resolution originals available if you have use for them. If you would like me to take a picture of something specific (like a closeup or something), let me know and I'll see what I can do.

What's new:

	06/15/2001		Recieved E. cyanognathus, C. fimbratus, A. jurenesis and A. "Bolivia sp. #2"
	05/16/2001		Just recieved the first batch of offspring from Tick! They're now available for sale.
	05/10/2001		I updated several pages, including some missed molts (sorry for the lack fo updates).
	04/21/2001		A. metallica #4 molted.
	04/19/2001		Some big taxonomic changes have been made - in particular, Braziliopelma is now Synonymous with Nhandu and Pseudotheraphosa apophysis is now Theraphosa apophysis! Also, V. platyomma is now an undescribed Pamphobeteus sp.
	04/15/2001		P. rufilata #1 molted today.
	04/12/2001		A. huriana and C. thorelli molted.
	04/09/2001		C. cornuatus molted, and "Usamabara" died for some unknown reason... Also, Speck is cohabiting with a female.
	04/04/2001		Speck is now shark caging with the female...
	04/02/2001		B. coloratovillosum molted.
	03/26/2001		A. geniculata female #2 (Big Edna) molted.
	04/01/2001		H. gigas #2 molted.
	03/26/2001		Grammostola sp. "Chaco golden stripe" and A. metallica #3 molted.
	03/24/2001		A. avicularia #2 molted.
	03/23/2001		Kuni and C. cyaneopubescens male #2 molted!
	03/22/2001		B. smithi molted.
	03/20/2001		P. rufilata #2 and M. robustum molted.
	03/19/2001		N. carapoensis molted.
	03/18/2001		G. actaeon molted.
	03/17/2001		A. metallica #2 molted and regenerated missing legs (they're tiny, but functional).
	03/15/2001		Apparently sucessful mating of B. boehmei!
	03/14/2001		Brazilopelma "Hi-white" molted.
	03/13/2001		A. versicolor #2 molted.
	03/12/2001		Curly #2 molted.
	03/11/2001		P. cambridgei and T. gigas both molted into mature males! Attempted mating of B. boehmei, P. regalis.
	03/10/2001		P. fasciata molted.
	03/09/2001		Speck molted into a mature male!
	03/08/2001		A. metallica #4 molted while I was on vacation (probably today).
	03/02/2001		Recieved a G. pulchra and "Hi-white" morph Brazilopelma sp. (possibly coloratovillosum) from Arachnocentric. Also, I've recieved a male B. boehmei to breed with Raul.
	02/28/2001		Recieved an M. robustum, Grammostola sp. "Chaco golden stripe", Camaroon mantis (Sphodromantis sp.) and H. lividum from Realm of Inverts.
	02/25/2001		A. purpurea #2 molted.
	02/24/2001		The B. coloratovillosum molted.
	02/20/2001		C. crawshayi and C. fasciatum molted.
	02/17/2001		Uploaded .wav file of the C. cornuatus stridulating!
	02/16/2001		A. avicularia #1, A. purpurea #1 and the A. huriana molted.
	02/15/2001		A. avicularia #2 molted.
	02/10/2001		A. metallica #3 molted.
	02/03/2001		The N. carapoensis molted.
	02/02/2001		One of the small A. metallica molted but legs III and IV on the left side were lost. )-:
	01/29/2001		H. maculata molted.
	01/25/2001		P. pulcher molted.
	01/24/2001		A. "braunshauseni", B. coloratovillosum, A. versicolor #2 molted.
	01/23/2001		The A. minatrix and C. cyaneopubescens female #1 (Teri) molted.
	01/22/2001		A. geniculata male #3 molted.
	01/20/2001		P. rufilata #1 molted today.
	01/18/2001		The B. smithi and the P. formosa (finally) molted today.
	01/17/2001		The C. crawshayi molted sometime prior to this date, who knows when... Also, the H. lividum eggsac has gone bad... )-:
	01/15/2001		A. geniculata (small unsexed one) and the A. urticans molted.
	01/14/2001		The P. ornata and G. actaeon molted today.
	01/12/2001		Curly #2 molted today.
	01/11/2001		The A. huriana molted today.
	01/10/2001		A. avicularia #2, A. purpurea #2, T. gigas and N. carapoensis molted. Also, I recieved a group of A. metallica spiderlings.
	01/08/2001		C. cyaneopubescens male #3, H. gigas #2 and S. g. robusta molted today.
	01/07/2001		The P. regalis molted into a mature male!
	01/06/2001		C. cyaneopubescens male #2 and Female #2 molted today.
	01/05/2001		The V. platyomma molted early this morning.
	01/03/2001		A. purpurea #1, H. gigas #1, the P. fasciata and T. blondi all molted today.
	01/02/2001		The C. thorelli and one of the smaller male A. geniculata molted today.
Older news

Disclaimer: Though I do have some photographs of myself and possibly others handling some tarantulas, I do not recommend that anyone handle a tarantula, especially one that is unfamiliar. Though most tarantulas are not considered dangerous, little is known about their venom, and there is no way to tell what your reaction will be. Also, the urticating hairs possessed by most new world tarantulas can cause a rash and possibly eye damage as well. The only time I ever handle a tarantula is if it is one that is familiar to me and known to be reluctant to bite or kick hairs, or one that accidentally ran up my arm or something when I was taking pictures. If you do handle a tarantula, you do so at your own risk.