Make plans to attend the 23^rd Annual Bug Fest at the Zoo, Saturday and Sunday – May 17-18 from 10am to 3pm.

10:00 am Bug Educational Fair @ Event Pavilion

10:30 am Live Bug Magic Entertainment @ Wildlife Amphitheater

11:00 am Dr. Minga Zhuang, Fun bug facts

11:30 am Live Music Entertainment @ Wildlife Amphitheater

1:00 pm Dr. Paul Hyder, bees and other pollinators@ Wildlife Amphitheater

1:30 pm Bug Tasting & Cook-Off Contest @Wildlife Amphitheater featuring El Paso Rhinos General Manager Corey Heon and KTSM Sports Reporter Kelly Horyczun.

By Rick LoBello

Ever wonder how many different species of animals there are in the world?  When I was growing up a bug referred to any small, creepy-crawly insect or other invertebrate.   Today we know that there is a very big world of invertebrates most of which many call bugs.  They include over a million species of insects. 

The actual number of insects is largely unknown and how many there are out there depends on who you ask.  The Smithsonian in Washington, DC says over 900,000.   The National Biodiversity Center of Ireland says about 1,000,000 species with an estimated 4.5 million more to be discovered.   The International Union for the Conservation of Nature does not provide a clear estimate, but they do say that they have reviewed the status of  more than 169,400 species.

No matter how many species there are out there one thing is for sure.  If something were to happen to all the insects and other invertebrates in the world, the environment would collapse into chaos. 

When you come to the zoo for Bug Fest and discover our collection of bugs, most of the species you will see are classified as Arachnids (spiders and scorpions).   To give you some idea of how many other kinds of invertebrates there are out there scientists estimate 102,248 species of Arachnids (spiders and scorpions), 85,000 species of Gastropods (snails), 45,000 species Crustaceans (crabs), 20,000 species of Bivalves (clams), 2,175 species of Sea anemones, corals and sea pens and over 70,000 species of everything else including worms, horseshoe crabs and jellyfish.  

During Bug Fest you will definitely want to stop by and see our special display of bugs in the Event Tent just located on the left as you pass the gift shop and to the west of our African lion exhibit.   Our education team made up of Education Specialists, Area 6 Education Zookeepers and volunteers will host the event with the help of our sponsors and our kitchen staff at Service System and Associates.   Come out and discover the world of bugs and connect with many of the species found right here in our Chihuahuan Desert backyard.

Watch for Bug Expert Dr. Paul Hyder

In addition to our big bug exhibit once again bug expert extraordinaire and retired El Paso high school teacher Dr. Paul Hyder will be joining us with a special display in the Event Tent on bees and other pollinators.  Dr. Hyder will also speak on bees in the Wildlife Amphitheater each day at 1pm right before Bug Tasting at 1:30pm.  

Photos
Feature – Desert sting beetle (Circus beetle) by Katja Schulz, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Top – Wolf Spider by Patrick Kavanagh, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Bottom – Bark scorpion by Andrew Meeds, Wikimedia Creative Commons

Cover bark scorpion with babies by Insects Unlocked, Wikimedia Creative Commons