It’s #wilddunedin at its best, but at 28 degrees Celsius, you won’t find any penguins or sea lions in here.
Arachnophobia? Lepidopterophobia? Ornithophobia? Whatever your phobia, fear not - Tūhura’s tropical forest specimens are very well behaved, welcoming and nothing like Hollywood horrors would have you believe.
Ok, let’s get the scariest one’s out of the way first – Tarantulas, notably the Latin American trio of the Brazilian Black, Peruvian Orange Stripe and Mexican Red Knee varieties (we’re talking spiders here, not grapes) - all with their own personalities and a far cry from the spiders we are used to in NZ. Staff ensure us, despite their size, they are all sweethearts and are safely tucked away behind the glass with no chance of escaping. Diablo is the smallest and most inquisitive, Pru is the biggest, but really laid back and prefers to hang with her food rather than eat it… at least for a while. Crowd favourite, Jaffa Cake, the resident Mexican Red Knee, is the most active and the best climber. One to keep your eyes on for sure…
If eight legs aren’t enough for you, there’s more where that came from… much more. Tūhura has a collection of Giant African Millipedes. Catch them living the simple life, munching on veggies, exploring their terrain, and occasionally clambering over a brave staff members face with their hundreds of grippy feet – not thousands as their name suggests.
Fans of the Ninja Turtles will be stoked to know Tūhura houses a less-agile Red Eared Slider Terrapin. Nora has a habit of eating all the butterflies that fall in her pond, much like a Kraken that drags ships under water. Shelley (excuse the pun) is a real escape artist - whoever decided turtles were slow, never met an unsupervised Shelley, hustling towards the big pond in the hope of catching a fish.
Speaking of fish, aside from the good old fashioned Gold Fish, the adorable Pea Pufferfish are a must see during feeding time as they slurp up blood worms like spaghetti, while the hard to spot Suckermouth Catfish lurk in the depths of the pond. Good things are coming your way if you manage to see one.
Taking to the skies, you’ll find Zebra Finch. These birds are very boisterous and intelligent and are great to sit back and watch them learn and adapt to their surroundings. But the true stars of the tropical forest, all the way from South America and South East Asia – are the very social butterflies. With mesmerizing, iridescent colours and acrobatics, they transform the forest into a vibrant kaleidoscope of colour and movement. Hundreds of freshly hatched butterflies are released every day at 11am - stand still long enough and you might have one mistake you for a lush tropical plant, making for great photos.