The international award-winning exhibition, Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires, opens today at the Australian Museum (AM) for a six-month run, exploring the remarkable creatures that have inspired centuries of mythology and impacted global populations, shaping modern medicine.
From leeches to lampreys, and mosquitos and mites, this science and pop culture exhibition was developed by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto, Canada, featuring interactive displays, larger-than-life installations, specimens and historic medical artefacts that explain how tiny micro-predators have evolved to dominate the planet.
Director and CEO of the Australian Museum, Ms Kim McKay AO, said that for the first time, the exhibition will also feature a special section focusing on Australia’s homegrown bloodsuckers, incorporating the latest research from Australian Museum scientists.
“The Bloodsuckers exhibition gives visitors a rare opportunity to understand the remarkable biology behind what we too often dismiss as a nuisance. Whether a mite, tick or a leech, these ingenious creatures have developed highly specialised and sophisticated ways to live with hosts, access blood and survive. The essence of this extraordinary exhibition is the power of evolution in action.
“Australia is known across the globe for its beautiful environment, but also its biting insects. We have drawn upon the Australian Museum’s scientific research adding a new element to the exhibition that demonstrates how bloodsuckers have adapted to this unique habitat,†Kim McKay said.
Australian Museum Chief Scientist Professor Shane Ahyong said the Bloodsuckers exhibition explores both the biology of blood-feeding and the extraordinary adaptations that make it possible.
“Blood-feeding is one of nature’s most sophisticated evolutionary strategies. It has taken millions of years to acquire the skill, from developing specialised piercing mouthparts to saliva containing anticoagulants and anaesthetics. It gives you a whole new insight into that mosquito about to land on your arm,” Professor Ahyong said.
Senior Curator of Entomology at Royal Ontario Museum, Doug Currie, said the exhibition reveals how diverse and wide-ranging blood feeding is throughout time and geography.
“Bloodsuckers have elicited both fear and wonder in humans across history and cultures. By learning more about these creatures, visitors may come to appreciate that some things that seem unpleasant on the surface are also deeply important,” Mr Currie said.
Bloodsucker facts…
- Vampire bats are the only mammals that survive entirely on blood
- Only female mosquitoes drink blood, using it to nourish their eggs inside of their bodies
- Evidence shows that leeches were used as bloodletting instruments from around 400 BCE
A rich learning experience spanning not only the scientific but also History and English curricula, the exhibition includes a section focusing on how bloodsuckers have also impacted cultural history and pop culture, through mythology to modern storytelling, including the iconic Dracula. Free school holiday Bloodsucker-inspired activities will also take place throughout April.
Tickets are priced from $31 for adults and $20 for children 4-15 years, purchase via the Australian Museum website.
Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires is proudly supported by hotel partner, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park. Pullman Sydney Hyde Park is offering family-of-four accommodation packages for Australian Museum visitors, including tickets to Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires exhibition, buffet breakfast, overnight accommodation, and an activity pack for children. The hotel is only a three-minute walk from the Australian Museum. Bloodsuckers: Nature’s Vampires is also proudly supported by PetSure, connecting insurance, innovation and veterinary care to help improve access to pet healthcare in Australia.
