Mutter spider in a crowded room and you are likely to have one or two people recoil in horror and become increasingly nervous. These eight legged arachnids certainly don’t inspire love and affection from most people. In fact, they are the things of nightmares for many. But what if I told you that these little creepy crawlies are older than dinosaurs and that right now you and the kids can safely explore their world? Interested? Spiders : Alive and Deadly has arrived at the Australian Museum. I was recently invited to the Education Launch.
Spiders : Alive and Deadly at the Australian Museum provides an immersive experience into the world of arachnids. Here you will learn how truly wonderful spiders are with their ability to weave webs, parachute, swim, dance and climb almost anything. Visitors can conquer their fears and hold a number of holographic spiders in the palm of their hand; enter the rarely seen world of the Tasmanian Cave Spider and even climb up into a viewing sphere where you will find the large dome-shaped webs of the Dome Tent-web Spiders all over your head. That’s not mention the fact that there are over 400 live spiders on exhibit for you to inspect. Ek!
Whilst there is an enormous amount of technology to use at the exhibit, the big draw card for me was the Venom lab where live milking happens every day so various spiders venom can be collected. The venom is incredibly important, assisting researchers on their quest to use it for pesticides and medicinal purposes such as cancer treatments and pain relief. Unfortunately the spiders had been milked dry on our visit. Regardless, I see this area of the exhibition becoming very popular.
What I learned from my experience at Spiders : Alive and Deadly is that there really isn’t that much to be fearful of when it comes to be arachnids if you know enough about them. There really is so much to learn about them and this exhibit will kickstart your education. When can you get there?
Spiders : Alive and Deadly is now open at the Australian Museum with the exhibit running through to July next year. A family ticket is currently $57.00. Check out australianmuseum.net.au for full details.
Thank you to the Australian Museum for inviting me to their 2016 Education Launch.