The La Plata Museum has launched a completely renovated room dedicated to invertebrates, a space that combines research, dissemination and conservation to bring the diversity of these life forms and their role in ecosystems closer to the public.
Entitled "Invertebrates: Surprising Life Forms," ​​the exhibition is located on the ground floor of the zoo and offers a tour of the environments where these organisms live, supported by large-scale displays, collection specimens, and interactive resources.
A visit to the new room: atmospheres, pieces and messages
The tour begins with an introductory area showcasing the variety of shapes and colors of the group, highlighting a giant clam of the genus Tridacna with a shell weighing over 60 kilos, recovered from illegal sales and prepared in the Invertebrate Collection to raise awareness of environmental crimes.
The heart of the exhibit is a large-format diorama that recreates the marine environment from the intertidal zone to deep waters . It showcases epifaunal species that live on rocks or sand, alongside infaunal forms adapted to soft substrates on the seabed.
One section focuses on the fauna of the Falkland Islands, in continuity with the Patagonian coast associated with the Falkland Current . Anemones, corals, crabs, and snails demonstrate biogeographical connections between the islands and the mainland.
Climate change and its effects on Antarctic invertebrates are addressed through a multimedia resource: variations in temperature, sea ice and food availability alter communities from the surface to the ocean floor.
Freshwater invertebrates are also presented: crustaceans, leeches, flatworms, nematodes, bivalves, and freshwater sponges, among others. It explains how they occupy the water column , aquatic vegetation, or the bottom in search of food and shelter.
In terrestrial environments linked to watercourses and bodies of water, spiders, mites, harvestmen, scorpions, land planarians, centipedes, millipedes, and mollusks such as slugs and snails appear, with emphasis on their adaptations to retain water and thrive in variable conditions.
The room includes a section dedicated to the relationships between organisms, with examples of parasitism and commensalism. A large infographic explains the life cycles of parasites that can affect people and animals, while commensals are shown as harmless.
Another section addresses harmful invertebrates, such as invasive species and agricultural pests. Examples include the golden mussel that clogs pipes, the giant African snail, and freshwater bivalves that disrupt habitats. Introduced slugs and snails, as well as worms that parasitize crops like tomatoes, are also featured.
The historic octopus model, restored and suspended as an emblematic piece, returns to the center of the room. Measuring approximately five meters in diameter , its documented presence dates back to the 1920s.
Who made it possible and scientific support
The update and restoration was carried out by an interdisciplinary team with researchers from the Invertebrate Zoology Division , specialists in architecture, restoration, conservation, graphic design and museology, as well as technical and non-teaching staff of the Museum.
The project was the winner of the Williams Foundation's 2023 Museum Experimentation program and received funding from that entity, the Félix de Azara Natural History Foundation and the Francisco Pascasio Moreno Museum Foundation of La Plata, along with contributions from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum.
Collaborators included INIDEP , which advised and provided representative invertebrates from the Falkland Islands; the Argentine Underwater Foundation, which provided images; and LIDI (CIyTT, Faculty of Informatics, UNLP), which developed a multimedia resource on climate change.
The proposal is inspired by lines of work from Conicet that gained public notoriety during the expedition to the Mar del Plata Canyon, integrating art, science and technology to reinforce the conservation message.
The inauguration was attended by university and museum authorities, including the president of UNLP, MartÃn López Armengol, director Marta Fernández, and dean Eduardo Kruse, along with prominent figures such as Francisco Brusa and Cristina Damborenea . All the speakers emphasized the importance of bringing science closer to society.
With its educational approach, scientific support, and a staging that combines iconic pieces and updated content, the invertebrate room of the La Plata Museum reinforces the link between knowledge and citizenship, inviting a leisurely and curious visit to understand biodiversity and its care.
