Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum looks to counter ‘prejudice’ against spiders as part of mission to boost ecological awareness

The museum has been encouraging members of the public to photograph colourful jumping spiders as part of a mission to boost awareness of the natural world

The site on the University of Hong Kong campus has a collection of thousands of specimens, some of which come from unwanted taxidermy collections

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The museum is hoping to raise awareness of spiders’ importance to the wider eco-system. Photo: Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum

Published: 6:00am, 3 Apr 2024

The Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum has been trying to encourage the public to take a more positive view of one of the most maligned of all creatures – the spider – as part of its wider mission to improve attitudes and awareness of the natural world.

The museum on the University of Hong Kong’s main campus has more than 20,000 specimens on public display, including animals found in mainland China, such as the red panda, the black muntjac and the Chinese giant salamander.

It has been running a competition inviting members of the public to photograph jumping spiders – a non-poisonous arachnid known for their bright colouring – around the city.

As their name suggests, they are also noted for their ability to make large jumps which, combined with their exceptional vision, helps them to catch their prey rather than spinning the webs that other spiders rely on.

While spiders are key to ecosystems, they are often underappreciated.

The global spider population eats around 400 to 880 million tonnes of prey every year, regulating the population of many insects and other arthropods, a 2017 study found. By comparison, humans consume about 400 million tonnes of meat and fish every year.