May 24, 2009 10:41 by
megMuch to my horror, two eager budding arachnologists visited the Discovery Centre this week to find more information about TARANTULAS. (May I just clarify that my horror was inspired by the tarantulas and not the lovely boys).
Bruno and Otto, on holiday from Hobart, had visited the Bugs Alive! exhibition in the Science & Life Gallery and were keen to find out more about spiders and other bugs. In addition to the pile of books we were able to find in the centre's library, I bravely directed them to the Spider's Parlour website and told them about the tarantula webcam, where online spectators can keep an eye on the Museum's tarantulas, and even watch them feed every week.
But even better than that, Luke from the Live Exhibits department came to talk to the boys in the centre, and he kindly brought with him a tarantula skin. It turns out that tarantulas can shed their entire skin in one piece as they grow.
Bruno and Otto were fascinated, touching and inspecting the skin, and picking Luke's brain for more information about the animals he looks after - I stayed safely behind my desk...
Photo: Meg Lomax Source: Museum Victoria
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