They’re tiny, they’re crawly and some blend in with their surroundings. Live insects and arachnids have crawled into the Canadian Museum of Nature.
"This is really, really cool," said Chloe Garlough who made the trip out with mom, Katrina Geenavasen.
“She loves science and history so we thought we’d pop by for the day,” said Geenavasen.
The seven-year-old was excited to hang with the leafcutter ants; part of the 'Bugs Alive' exhibition is now on display.
“Yeah, those are my favourite ants," she said.
Encased in a specially designed 3.3 metre-long habitat, the leaf-cutting ants farm fungus.
"They’re the first farmers on the planet,” said Stacy Wakeford, interim chief content officer at the Canadian Museum of Nature. "Next to humans, they form the most complex society on earth."
"It’s kind of unique to have a museum have live animals in general," said Stuart Baatnes, senior animal care technician. "Invertebrates are often misunderstood or not seen so this allows an opportunity to see invertebrates in a protected space.”
Also on display are tarantulas, beetles, scorpions, horrid king assassin bugs and stick insects. Crawling creatures that play a vital role to the environment and to biodiversity.
"Bugs Alive” is a permanent exhibition and is included with museum admission.
