DAYTRIPDESTINATION

Bloodsuckers Taking Over the EcoTarium!

The EcoTarium and the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative invite families to become bloodsuckers in the Attack of the Bloodsuckers exhibit – a new, kid-friendly display where you see life from the perspective of parasites!

Visitors of all ages can climb into a mosquito cockpit where the only mission is to find blood! They can discover if smelly feet really do attract these pests, watch leech feedings in an aquarium and see how mosquitoes adapt to their environment in a glassed-in habitat. This exhibit examines the what, why, when and how of mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, leeches and other parasites, their role in the ecosystem and why they do what they do!

The exhibit includes a variety of fun components for families, including: • Live mosquitoes and leeches in their own aquarium habitats • A colorful, four-foot-tall, softsculpture tick that inflates when you sit on it • Microscopes to view the anatomy of tiny parasites • A spin browser where you can see a mosquito’s lifecycle from birth on

This exhibit was produced by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative and made possible by grants from Jane’s Trust, Cabot Family Charitable Trust and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, offers three floors of interactive exhibits, wildlife habitats, interpretive nature trails, a planetarium, and a narrow-gauge railroad. The museum, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, college students and children ages 3-18. Parking is free. For information, please call (508) 929-2700 or e-mail info@ ecotarium.org.