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Show Insect zoo offers look at creatures If you're worried about population problems with the earth's more than 4 billion humans, give some thought to this face: at any given time, scientists estimate, there are one quintillion insects alive on our planet. That's right 1,000,000,000,000,000,000. It's estimated that more than three quarters of the 1.15 million known animal species are insects. That's why personnel at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, on the Brigham Young University campus, thought visitors might like to know more about the creatures, said Jean Rhodes, exhibits coordinator. The museum has opened a small insect zoo that will be on display through the third week in August. It includes comparatively few insect species, but it will give visitors the opportunity, for example, to examine the infamous "Mormon cricket," sit eyeball to eyeball with a venomous Central American trantula (it's behind glass), or watch the industrious inhabitants of an ant farm. In addition to live animals, the zoo, the southeast corner of the museum's top level, includes mounted specimens and displays offering information about insects and a few other arthopods. There is a small pair of live hermit crabs and a giant mounted crab. One of the most eye-catching exhibits is a terrarium, big enough to walk into, containing flying insects, including hatching butterflies. Much of the collecting of specimens and preparation of exhibits for the zoo was done by Mike Whiting, a junior at Provo High School who helped the museum prepare its first insect zoo last year as a summer project. This year, he returned to take part in the project again. While the insect zoo attracts many young visitors, parents are often fascinated by its exhibits as well, Mrs. Rhodes said. "I notice a lot of adults will sit down and watch the ant farm as long as their children will." Humans should realize the importance of insects in the earth's ecological balance, she said. Insects thrive in almost all areas of the planet and make many beneficial contributions, though they most often come to people's attention because of the problems they create. They can reproduce at phenomenal rates, she noted. A termite queen, for instance, can lay 30,000 eggs a day for 10 years. The insect zoo is open during the museum's regular hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. other weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 5 p m. Saturdays. The building is located east of the Marriott Center and immediately north of the Centennial Carillon Tower on the BYU campus. There is no charge for admission. Each Monday evening, the museum offers nature movies at 6, 7, and 8 p.m. in the Wilmer W. Tanner Auditorium, on the first level. There are also live reptiles shows between screenings of the movies. |
