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Catch up with the B.U.G.S!
Dates: Every Day
All Day
Take a journey around B.U.G.S! and discover a whole world of biodiversity under one roof.
Leaf Insect There are thought to be at least 15 million kinds of plant and animal on Earth, living everywhere from the icy poles to the tropics, and from the tops of mountains to the ocean depths.
B.U.G.S! (Biodiversity Underpinning Global Survival), formerly 'Web of Life', displays over 140 species – a tiny sample, but enough to demonstrate what biodiversity is, how it has come about and how its future depends on us. We literally have a span of species from leaf-cutting ants to anteaters!
98% of all known animal life is made up of invertebrates – animals without a backbone – and for this reason many of the animals in B.U.G.S! are invertebrates. This means that you can catch up with all manner of weird and wonderful beasts, from the Red-kneed bird eating spider through to Flamboyant flower beetles.
This exhibit is also home to our Invertebrate Conservation Unit, the largest facility for conservation breeding of invertebrates in the world.
The building itself also contributes to saving biodiversity and is constructed from materials that have low embodied energy, whilst the primary source of heat is from visitors’ body heat and the exhibits themselves.
So, for a chance to catch up with some rather unusual animals, plus to learn more about the natural world around us, take a trip through B.U.G.S! and find out more about biodiversity, genetics, extinction and conservation.
