The Mary Brogan Museum of Arts and Science presents BIG BUGS: The World of Giant Insects on view now through August 21, 2011.

BIG BUGS: The World of Giant Insects, is a traveling exhibition featuring insects of giant proportions! From 60 to 600 times actual size, computer controlled and pneumatically operated, these big, ugly bugs move their heads, wiggle their antennae, buzz their wings, gnash their mandibles and extend their enormous bodies for visitors.

This eye popping exhibition is sure to excite and amaze all who see it and will serve to educate all ages through its use of robotic creatures and hands-on learning experiences. The giant insects are created by the Kokoro Company that made the robotic dinosaurs seen numerous times at The Brogan Museum. This time, the subjects of the exhibit are hardly extinct; scientists estimate that the average number of insects in one square mile is greater than the world’s entire human population.

The BIG BUGS’ intricate details and lifelike motions are based on the most current scientific knowledge. Their size gives visitors an opportunity to see the interplay among muscles, exoskeletons, and specialized adaptations that enable insects to perform amazing feats. A flea, for example, can leap a distance equal to 200 times its length. Some of the insects to be included in the exhibition are a giant Locust that expands its wings and springs forward, a Caterpillar preparing for transformation into a butterfly and a Praying Mantis that reaches towards visitors as if it were preparing to catch its next meal. Hands-on exhibits feature three magnified insect heads that visitors operate: an 80 times magnified dragonfly head seen chewing, a 200 times magnified bee head sucking nectar and a 600 times magnified mosquito head. Though the robotics are man-made, a Live Insect Zoo is provided courtesy of Mother Nature.

Image: The Mary Brogan Museum of Arts and Science

www.thebrogan.org

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