Bugs and beyond

Come to discover the wonderful world of arthropods! Insects belong to the arthropod phylum – the largest and most diverse phylum in nature, more than one million species, which comprise about 80% of all living organisms known to science!

Arthropods range in size from tiny organisms less than one-tenth of a millimeter in length to organisms with a leg span of about four meters. Their body is covered by a stiff covering, a kind of armor or external skeleton, which divides their body and legs into segments.

Arthropods are found in every habitat – on land, in the air, and in the sea. We may meet them at home, in the yard, and almost every place we go to. They arouse in us diverse feelings, from enthusiasm to fear; they are essential for the functioning of ecosystems and also play a central role in phenomena related to our very being, such as pollination or decomposition of organic matter.

In this exhibition you will meet live organisms! Come to get a close look at the incredible world of arthropods and study their behavior and surprising abilities. The insects you’ll find in the exhibition: the Madagascan hissing cockroach, the Australian stick insect, an assassin bug, and the colorful American grasshopper, as well as different species of spiders, butterflies, and ants. A particularly rare item is the jumping ‘peacock spider’ from Australia, with its unique courting behavior. The male spider spreads out its colorful abdomen in front of the female, just like a peacock, while he dances a wonderful dance, as you can see displayed on the screen.