Special Exhibition Featuring "Dung Beetle" Held at Takatsuki City Museum of Natural History

From July 4, 2026 (Saturday) to September 27, 2026 (Sunday), a special exhibition featuring "dung beetles" will be held at the Takatsuki City Museum of Natural History (Aquapia Akutagawa). Visitors can learn about the ecology and secrets of the familiar creature, the dung beetle, in a corner that introduces their physical characteristics and how to distinguish males from females.

The museum, which collects, preserves, and exhibits materials related to the nature of Takatsuki, will host a special exhibition during the summer vacation period, focusing on the dung beetle, a creature that lives in our vicinity. Despite the name "mushi" (insect), dung beetles are not insects but are classified as crustaceans, like shrimp and crabs. The exhibition provides detailed explanations through panels and live displays about their physical structure, such as a body divided into 14 segments and 14 legs with claws, as well as how to differentiate between male and female dung beetles.

Furthermore, the results of a distribution survey of dung beetle relatives, including the common rough woodlouse (Oka-dangomushi), pill bug (warajimushi), and giant pill bug (kumawarajimushi), conducted across 275 parks in the city, will be presented. Methods for dung beetle experiments and observation, perfect for summer vacation free research projects, will also be introduced. In addition, anecdotes related to dung beetles, contributed by visitors, will be exhibited. These range from amusing stories that will make you chuckle, such as "they came out of my child's pocket in large numbers," to relatable experiences like memories of playing with or observing and raising dung beetles.

The museum's curator stated, "We hope that after seeing the special exhibition, people will become interested in the nature around them by searching for dung beetles in familiar places like parks, or by raising and observing them at home."

[Exhibition Overview]

Period: July 4, 2026 (Saturday) to September 27, 2026 (Sunday)

Hours: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Closed: Mondays. However, if a Monday is a public holiday, the museum will be open, and closed on the following weekday.

Location: Special Exhibition Space, 1st Floor, Takatsuki City Museum of Natural History (Aquapia Akutagawa)

Address: 5-59-1 Minamidai, Takatsuki City

Access: Take the municipal bus from JR Takatsuki Station, bus stop 5, towards Kansai University/Heian Jogakuin University East, and alight at "Minamidai Shogakko Mae" (Minamidai Elementary School). The venue is immediately accessible.

Admission Fee: Free

[Related Website]

Aquapia Blog (Aquapia Akutagawa Website)

https://aquapia-akutagawa.blog.jp/

[Contact Information for this Matter]

Takatsuki City Museum of Natural History (Aquapia Akutagawa)

Phone: 072-692-5041