Bugs

A hidden world of extraordinary capabilities and evolutionary adaptations comes into focus through immersive encounters with Earth's smallest animals. Bugs, an exhibit developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa with Weta Workshop Limited, runs through April 20 at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. The exhibition offers insights into the complex behaviors and evolutionary adaptations that make insects some of Earth's most successful and innovative organisms.

Six larger-than-life bug ambassadors guide visitors through interactive chambers that demonstrate their remarkable abilities. Visitors can explore an orchid mantis's camouflaged garden, witness a jewel wasp's precise hunting techniques, and discover how dragonfly flight mechanics influence technological innovation.

The exhibition features four immersive theaters that place visitors at the center of insect life scenarios, along with scientific displays highlighting how bug biology inspires advances in engineering and nanotechnology. Interactive stations allow visitors to compare their own capabilities to those of various insects.

Located in the Hsiao Family Special Exhibition Gallery on the museum's first floor, Bugs is included with general admission to Frost Science.