Introducing...my pet bugs!
Although it isn't a requirement, many entomologists take their work home with them and care for some kind of arthropod pet. An arthropod is a broad category of animals that includes insects, spiders, and even crustaceans. I use the term "bug" loosely, as "arthropod" is a mouthful :)
But you don't have to study bugs to keep them as pets! Below, I will introduce you to my 5 bug pets. All of these critters are easy to care for, and really fun to watch.
1) Blue Death Feigning Beetles
The name sounds intense, but these are the sweetest pets and are very popular.
Blue death feigning beetles live in the desert. You can even find them in the Southwestern U.S. We took the picture on the left at a campsite outside of Zion National Park in Utah. I was very excited to finally see one in the wild!
These beetles are called "death feigning" beetles because they play dead, just like an opossum! We call this "thanatosis". They do this because many predatory animals either do not like to eat dead things or find their prey by looking for moving objects.
Watch the video below to see my beetle habitat and to learn more about them!
2) Superworms
Superworms are larvae (immature/babies) of darkling beetles. Just like butterflies, beetles go through metamorphosis and have a "caterpillar-stage".
If you fish or have reptile pets at home, these guys might look familiar! They are commonly used as bait or to feed other animals.
However the bugs on the left are actually cooked! Insects are eaten in many diets all over the world, which we call "entomophagy". The graduate students in my group get together to cook 4,000 of these up for a massive community event each year. Would you try one? These were cajun spiced 🌶
Note: The bugs in the video below are friends, not food :)
Watch the video below to see my superworm habitat and to learn more about them!
3) Bilbo, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
I know what you are thinking. Who would voluntarily hold a cockroach??? My friend Emily and I, that's who!
Madagascar hissing cockroaches are really neat pets. They are very different from the roaches you might see in your house (or on campus, in my case). Think of these guys as the pandas of the cockroaches. They are pretty slow, so they don't do the terrifying scurry thing. They can't fly, so they are really bad at getting away. And they aren't going to bite you, they just might try to hiss and scare you. Big softies.
Watch the video below to meet my grumpy Madagascar Hissing Cockroach named Bilbo and to learn more about him!
4) Metallic Pinktoe Tarantula (Baby!)
Photo by Micha L. Rieser
This is my most recent addition to the bug family - a Metallic Pinktoe Tarantula! The spider pictured on the left is what it will look like as an adult. It gets that name because the body is shiny and blue, and the little toes are pink.
It is an arboreal tarantula, meaning it makes webs up high/in trees! This makes them very fun to watch, but much harder to handle.
Also, if you haven't looked up close up pictures of spider paws - do yourself a favor and check this out:
Watch the video below to meet my (unnamed) Pinktoe Tarantula and to learn more about it!
5) Cersei the Rosehair Tarantula
I bought Cersei as an almost adult tarantula during my junior year of undergraduate (photo of when I brought her home). That means I have had her for 6.5 years now! She was named after Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones.
Tarantulas can live a long time, but their lifespan depends on whether they are male or female. Males live 3-5 years, whereas females can live up to 20! I joke at this point Cersei seems to be going through a mid-life crisis. You'll see why in the video.
Spiders look the same throughout their development, they just (sometimes) change color and get larger each time they molt. Since arthropods have their bones on the outside of their body (exoskeleton), they can't just get bigger the way vertebrates can. It's basically like growing into a new shoe size. When Cersei molts, she leaves behind an almost identical hollow replica of herself - including her eyes and fangs!
Watch the video below to meet my Cersei and to learn more about her (and her mid-life crisis)!
Thanks for stopping by!
Jess & friends