Take a moment for yourself, curl up, and listen to our latest podcast as one of Te Papa’s swarm of experts unpacks the science behind exoskeletons.
In our second episode of our ‘Phil Us In’ podcast series, bug lovers and comedians, Tom Sainsbury and Chris Parker, sat down with Dr Phil Sirvid to discuss the one feature that unites all insects and the millions of different things that they do - whether they tunnel in the ground or fly through the air!
As Dr Phil explains, insects have exoskeletons that they must shed in order to grow and when they do so, this makes them tremendously vulnerable to predators. The star of Bug Lab’s exoskeleton section, the ingenious bombardier beetle, has its defence strategy all planned out. A living machine-gun, it combines chemicals inside its body to create an external explosion - a pulsing near-boiling spray of liquid that stops all threats in their tracks.
See the bombardier beetle crafted by the amazing special effects team at Weta Workshop at Bug Lab and learn more about its incredible abilities.
You can get your tickets on site or online.
