Arachnophobes, beware — a heap of creepy-crawly eight-legged creatures are descending upon Queensland Museum. As part of the site's next big exhibition, the South Brisbane spot is turning its walls and halls over to spiders of all shapes and sizes. More than 200 specimens will be on display, including 12 live species.
Yes, that means there'll be real, living, prowling Sydney funnel webs, trapdoors, hunstmans, redbacks and tarantulas. Don't worry — they'll be behind glass. Obviously, if the mere thought of these arachnids fills you with terror, this showcase won't be for you.
Feeling brave? If you're keen to get playful with the critters, Spiders – The Exhibition will also include interactive elements. You'll be able to hold a wolf spider in your hands (virtually, of course), challenge a peacock spider to a dance-off, peer at a web-slinger's insides via 3D scanning technology and get caught in net-casting spider's web (for a photo, naturally).
Running from December 6, 2019 to May 4, 2020, the exhibition will showcase spider ecology in all of its facets — from reproduction, to their specialised jaws and silk, to their venom, to their adaptive qualities — all drawing upon expert research. Queensland Museum is actually known as a bit of a spider-hub, so its arachnologists will be putting their own skills on display, and doing whatever a spider buff can.
Image: Robert Whyte.