Live Tarantulas, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and Whip Scorpions (Exhibition)

Exist Dates

1954 October 19 - 1954 November, approximately

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract

Exhibition. Opened October 19, 1954 and closed approximately November 1954. Located in Section 5, Floor 3 in the Insect Hall at the American Museum of Natural History. Live Tarantulas, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and Whip Scorpions featured live specimens, most collected by Mont A. Cazier and Willis J. Gertsch in Arizona and northwest Mexico, as well as field photographs.

Summary

Live Tarantulas, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and Whip Scorpions featured live specimens, most collected by Mont A. Cazier in Arizona and northwest, Mexico as well as field photographs. Three scorpions were a gift of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel (1, 1954, p. 1).

The exhibition included (1, p. 2-4):

*Live male and female tarantulas

*Photographs of the tarantula egg sac and underground burrows

*5 black widow specimens in glass jars with fine wire-mesh tops

*3 scorpions from the Southwest United States

*3 scorpions from North Africa, a gift of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel

*Photograph of a mother scorpion with young on her back

*A whip scorpion

This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.

Sources

(1) American Museum of Natural History. Press Release. "Live Tarantulas, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and Whip Scorpions on Exhibit at the American Museum." October 19, 1954. Departmental Records, DR 101. American Museum of Natural History Library.

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Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

American Museum of Natural History. Department of Insect and Spiders.
Related department

American Museum of Natural History. Insect Hall.
Location of exhibition 1954 October 19 – 1954 November, approximately (1, p. 1)

Cazier, Mont A.
Collected specimens in the exhibition; chairman of Museum's Department of Insects and Spiders (1, p. 1)

Gertsch, Willis John 1906-
Collected specimens in the exhibition; curator in Museum's Department of Insects and Spiders (1, p. 1)

Jerusalem Biblical Zoo
Institutional partner (1, p. 1)

Related Resources

American Museum of Natural History. Annual Report. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1953-1954
Page 46

American Museum of Natural History press releases, 1933-1990s.
"Live Tarantulas, Black Widow Spiders, Scorpions and Whip Scorpions on Exhibit at the American Museum." October 19, 1954.

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