Bug Out at Shedd! Embrace Spooky Season with Curious Crawlers in Aquatic Ecosystems

Just in time for Halloween, Shedd Aquarium encourages guests to get an up-close look at spiders, centipedes and cockroaches – including one new resident at the aquarium.

"We hope to move people from fear into fascination. While these animals might conjure a spooky sensation at first glance, once you get to know more about them you just might find something to appreciate," said Max Steinberg, an aquarist at Shedd who cares for animals in the Amazon Rising exhibit. "Come with an open mind, ready to learn about all different kinds of animals – whether they have a few fins or dozens of little legs."

In the Amazon Rising exhibit, guests can "Bug Out at Shedd" and discover the curious crawlers that call the rainforest home alongside arapaima, electric eels and piranhas. Although these spiders and invertebrates don't live directly in water, they are a critical part of the aquatic ecosystem, keeping the food web healthy and in balance.

Guests can also spot a new species on exhibit: the bird-eating tarantula (Pamphobetus sp.), known for an impressive leg span up to 9 inches wide.

MASTERS OF STEALTH

The bird-eating tarantula, despite its name, mostly eats a diet of insects, reptiles, amphibians and small invertebrates, although it does have the physical ability to eat small birds or mammals on rare occasions. These spiders are stealthy hunters with poor eyesight, using thousands of hairs on their legs to sense vibrations from nearby animals and insects. Once their prey is close enough, the tarantula quickly pounces and uses their fangs to inject a venom that paralyzes their prey.

At Shedd, the bird-eating tarantula may be hiding in their burrow, so guests are encouraged to look closely and peer around the side of the habitat for a special view under the soil.

MASTERS OF EATING

The Amazon giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea), which can also be spotted in the Amazon Rising exhibit, is a voracious predator that can eat lizards, frogs, mice, smaller insects and fruit. In the wild, they may even climb to the roof of caves to prey on bats. Growing over 12 inches in length, these giant centipedes have around 20 pairs of legs (not hundreds) and can also inject venom into their prey.

"It might come as a surprise, but many of the larger bugs at Shedd actually have distinct personalities," said Steinberg. "The Amazon giant centipede is curious and quite expressive with her movements, which you might observe as the centipede explores her habitat."

WHAT IS A "BUG," REALLY?

While spiders, centipedes and cockroaches are commonly known as "bugs," their scientific classification is a bit more complex. The term "bug" describes a specific type of insect like an aphid or stinkbug, whereas cockroaches are a different type of insect. Meanwhile, spiders and centipedes are in their own category of arthropods – but all are invertebrates, or animals with no backbone.

At Shedd, guests have the opportunity to come eye-to-eye with the bird-eating tarantula, Amazon giant centipede, giant Peruvian cockroach and several other species of tarantulas in a not-so-scary environment, discovering the adaptations that allow them to thrive in the dynamic ecosystem of the Amazon River Basin.

"We hope that people connect with the crawling critters at Shedd, or at least find them interesting, and apply that same amazement to the bugs in their own backyard," said Steinberg.

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