From the lawn that surrounds the external area of the yellow house occupied by the Biological Institute Museum, which is close to Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo, you can hear a cheering crowd. Getting closer, we found children screaming in one of the institution’s rooms.
This is where one of the most beloved attractions of the space works, which reopened this month with the long-term exhibition “Planeta Inseto”. On a table nicknamed the “baratódromo”, made of wood and covered by glass, five cockroaches – these domestic cockroaches, which are often the targets of slippers every day – are divided into lanes, as in an athletics race, while the children choose their favorites and place their bets.
When one of the monitors starts, the screaming starts. The cockroach run, agitated by the noise, lasts a short time, as this species can travel up to 1.5 meters per second, but it excites children. Although adapted to attract children’s attention, the space was also designed to welcome people of all ages.
The exhibition already filled the spaces of the museum opened in 2010 for some time, but, while it remained closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was completely redesigned — as well as the structure of the place, which became more accessible with items such as tactile map, audio guide, signs with Braille signage and ramps.
There are seven rooms, which house different universes. In the one dedicated to butterflies and moths, for example, some beautiful specimens of animals appear arranged in pictures. In one of them it is possible to see all the phases of evolution, starting with the cocoon.
The information boards, all illustrated and easy to understand, point out curiosities, such as tips to differentiate moths from butterflies. One of them even compares the exoskeleton to the “armor of a knight”, for example.
It is also possible to touch some animals, such as some types of cockroaches and beetles. The curious silkworm, which is a moth, has a soft texture that resembles a marshmallow. Visitors can closely check the production of the animals’ silk, which are kept in a glass box.
Another interesting room is the one dedicated to the sound of insects. In it, giant flowers serve as the “home” of animals such as the bee, the grasshopper and the cicada. Red buttons trigger the song of one of the animals and the visitor can bet on who makes that sound before the light circles reveal the result.
Next to it, an environment is dedicated only to bees, with large replicas of some species and a cartoon that shows how the animals live and produce honey. In the garden, the museum also has beehives of four stingless species — jataí, iraí, mandaçaia and uruçu-amarela.
Several other animals are contemplated in the visit. The museum explains about termites, which in Brazil appear in 347 species, ants and the daily life of an anthill, biological pest control and how insects help to give clues at crime scenes.
In the end, after diving into the world of insects, everyone leaves paying attention not to step on any little ants accidentally on the ground.
