Spiders, the newest exhibition at Questacon – The National Science and Technology Centre offers visitors an unparalleled experience into the secret world of these fascinating creatures.
With a range of live specimens, including Australian tarantulas, funnel-webs, redbacks and giant water spiders, there is always something exciting happening.
The communal huntsman colony saw the release of its fifth egg sac on 25 January 2016, which resulted in 25-35 young communal huntsmans welcomed into the family. The spiderlings kept close to mum for a few days before integrating with the rest of the extended family.
Our Australian tarantulas have also been busy and have kept us on our toes over the last two months. Two of our tarantulas, T2 and T4, have undergone moults as part of their development process. T4 was the first to moult in mid-January, and T2 underwent a moult a week later. Both spiders moulted successfully and were seen located next to their old exoskeleton, which was a bit of a surprise for some lucky visitors.
To celebrate Save A Spider Day on 14 March 2016, make sure you head to the Spiders exhibition to step into the web of a net-casting spider, challenge a peacock spider to a dance-off and discover the strength of spider silk. All this and more, as you weave your way through the exhibits and discover that there is more than meets the eye to these often misunderstood creatures.
Spiders is a collaboration between Questacon and the Australian Museum in Sydney, drawing on the respective strengths of each institution. The exhibition also features material developed in association with some of Australia’s other leading researchers, from universities, museums and scientists.
