Featured Outhouse Traveling Exhibit: "Dr. Entomo"

Dr. Entomo brochureDownload the Dr. Entomo exhibit brochure pdf, including an overview plus exhibit size, rental fee and current availability.


"Step Right Up, step right up...experience the strange, the
unexplainable, the UNSPEAKABLE underworld of our bizarre beasts.
All real, all alive...OR ARE THEY?
You be the judge" - Dr. Entomo.


So reads Outhouse Exhibit Service's carnival-esque poster that greets visitors to your very own "Dr. Entomo" exhibit.

Is it true? Are they real?! Let Dr. Entomo be your guide as you explore the wonderful world of bugs in all their strange splendor. From glow-in-the-dark scorpions to "cow-killing" ants, Dr. Entomo's Palace of Exotic Wonders fascinates visitors of all ages!

Exhibit Overview

Reminiscent of a traditional circus sideshow, the exhibit features more than two dozen living and mounted bugs that showcase their unique diversity and life habits under the guise of unusual monikers, such as the Two Headed Devil, Glowing Terror and Sumo Bugs to name only a few. The exhibit is family-friendly in its design and content and is appropriate for visitors of all ages.

To capture the essence of the traveling circus, large, colorful hand-painted banners introduce the visitor to the inhabitants they are about to meet. They also give the first impression of the topic about to be explored, and delineate each section of the exhibit. The exhibit is divided into eight sections:

  • Introduction/Entrance
  • Glowing Terror
  • Living Mummies
  • Mama Nature's Chemical Factory
  • The Devil with Two Heads
  • The Rogues Gallery of Criminals
  • Theatre of the Macabre
  • "The Gaff"

Each section presents a new concept based on the natural history of the animal(s) on display. In some instances, the visitor is challenged to question their own beliefs about the true value of our fellow bugs, and is presented many opportunities for independent learning.




Introduction/Entrance

In this first section of the exhibit, the visitor is introduced to Dr. Entomo himself. Is he a man? A bug? A little of each? The first of many mysteries to unravel...

In addition, basic physiological information about arthropods, along with a definition, begins the educational component of the experience.


Glowing Terror

This section explores one of
the great mysteries of the bug world -- the fact that scorpions give off an eery green glow when
placed under blacklight.

Animal on Display: Emperor Scorpions

Interactive: Push Button-Activated Black Light to make the scorpions glow


Living Mummies

This section of the exhibit explores the unusual life cycle of insects, using the Darkling Beetle in every life stage as the living example. The pupae of this beetle is suggestive of a mummified corpse, tightly wrapped while awaiting rebirth

Animals on Display: Giant Mealworms, Mealworm pupae, Adult Darkling Beetles


Chemical Factory

Some bugs use bad-tasting or even poisonous chemical secretions to ward off would-be predators. This unusual defense mechanism is discussed in this section of the exhibit.

Animals on Display: Giant African Millipedes, Giant Vinegaroons

Interactive: Vinegar Vaporizer (At the press of a lever, the visitor smells firsthand what a predator would encounter if it disturbed the Giant Vinegaroon.)


The Devil with Two Heads

Another unique defense mechanism is to present potential predators with two heads on one body. Centipedes are a great living example of this defense mechanism. This "Devil" is showcased in a recreated Hell On Earth, complete with a red light in a cave-like habitat.

Animal on Display: Giant Vietnamese Centipede


Rogues Gallery

This section of the exhibit exploes the myths and common misconceptions that plague the most common of our insect friends. Intended to represent an old-fashioned prison, each bug is presented with its "crime". the visitor is then asked to decide whether or not the criminal is guilty--or innocent.


Animals on Display: Rosehair Tarantula, Brazilian Whiteknee Tarantula, Black Widow Spider, Wolf Spider, American Cockroaches, Desert Hairy Scorpion, House Crickets, Praying Mantis, Goliath Bird Eating Tarantula


Theatre of the Macabre

Bugs not only look creepy, but some of the things that they do are downright disturbing. This section highlights some of these odd behaviors, and presents them in decidedly non-traditional ways.

Mounted Specimens on Display: Dung Beetles, Tropical Butterflies, Stag Beetles


"The Gaff"

What sideshow would be complete without the inclusion of a fantasy creature that challenges you to decide Is it Real? Or is it a Fake?

Mounted Specimen on Display: Ter-An-Tula




For more details and images, please visit the Dr. Entomo site .


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