Science:
Subtopics
![A male Maratus volans peacock spider. Image made available through generous donation of its original author.](/media/4542/malepeacockspider.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=131469279528500000&bgcolor:fff)
What good are spiders?
Apart from their intrinsic right to be here, spiders do humans a power of good as well.
![A spider sits atop a pencil.](/media/12498/hero-shot2.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132442143171070000&bgcolor:fff)
Why the 2010s were the decade of the peacock spider
How disruptors and digital technology led to a frenzy of scientific discovery.
![Black wasp](/media/4358/female-spider-wasp.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=131463336689630000&bgcolor:fff)
Predator vs predator
Wasps give huntsman spiders a taste of their own medicine.
![Cockroach](/media/4504/img_4544.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=131471842013600000&bgcolor:fff)
Bountiful Mallee
Close encounters with Mallee insects.
![A black and white image of a toadlet.](/media/13023/header-bushfire.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132273807090070000&bgcolor:fff)
Under fire: The animals threatened by Australia’s bushfire crisis
If there’s one place in the world that knows about extinction, it’s a natural history museum.
![Female Badge Huntsman Spider underside](/media/13747/000016504c.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132332376349070000&bgcolor:fff)
Is my spider a boy or a girl?
At some times in a spider’s life it is easy to tell, but at other times it can be impossible.
![Black Rock Scorpion](/media/13752/000146852c.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132332464274230000&bgcolor:fff)
Scorpion facts and fallacies
Are all scorpions dangerous? Answers to this and other common scorpion questions.
![](/media/13757/000263365c.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132332567780000000&bgcolor:fff)
Your eight-legged housemates
At Museums Victoria we are often asked: “What kind of spider is this? It was in my house! Is it dangerous?”
![a closeup of a small orange coloured spider with big eyes pointing of its legs](/media/16342/nemo-pointing.jpg?center=0.33333333333333331,0.49549549549549549&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132858525985400000&bgcolor:fff)
Nemo found: new species of dancing peacock spider named
Meet the newest dancing peacock spider, Maratus nemo.
![a small scorpion glowing green under uv light](/media/17997/little-marbled-scorpion-glowing.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132858543244930000&bgcolor:fff)
Glowing animals: understanding bioluminescence and biofluorescence
What do a Platypus, a Dragonfish and a Scorpion all have in common?
![a spider looking straight at the viewer](/media/18581/wolf-spider.jpg?center=0.34782608695652173,0.47096774193548385&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=132798087676200000&bgcolor:fff)
Top spider myths
A myth for each leg: from the deadly Daddy Long-legs to swallowing spiders in your sleep.
![an upside down praying mantis posing](/media/xg2hzr4y/mantis-hero.jpg?anchor=center&mode=crop&width=768&height=432&rnd=133377757301830000&bgcolor:fff)
Live bugs, in a museum?
What does the thought of picking up a bug do to you? It’s just a day in the life for our Live Exhibits keepers.
![Venoms & antivenoms at Museum Victoria](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/content/media/43/188643-thumbnail.jpg)
Venoms & antivenoms at Museum Victoria
Through necessity, Australia is a world leader in venom and antivenom research.
![Five girls looking for marine life on a boat.](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/content/media/9/831809-thumbnail.jpg)
Help us document biodiversity – record your own sightings
![Front view of brown spider showing two rows of eyes.](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/content/media/32/868132-thumbnail.jpg)
Wolf spiders
Some Wolf Spiders shelter in permanent burrows, others wander during the day.
![Black, white and yellow spiny spider on web.](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/content/media/30/767280-thumbnail.jpg)
Spiny Spider
Also known as the Christmas spider or jewel spider.
![Black spider with red markings with eggs.](https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/content/media/39/868389-thumbnail.jpg)