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AssetID: 41371766

Headline: ZSL London Zoo To Open New Tiny Giants Exhibit In May

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: Corals and reef fish This May, ZSL London Zoo is inviting visitors to enter the world of Tiny Giants - a new immersive exhibit celebrating the planet’s smallest but mightiest animals. Shining a spotlight on the planet’s smallest superheroes: from underwater corals and the aquatic wildlife they support, to industrious leafcutter ants, spiders and beetles – the exhibit celebrates the species we quite literally couldn’t live without. Postponed from 2020 as a result of the global pandemic, Tiny Giants: From Minibeasts to Coral Reefs will open to the public on Monday 17 May, in line with the government’s roadmap for indoor attractions. Visitors will be given a bugs-eye view of the world, as they find themselves shrunk to the size of an ant, surrounded by a garden of giant leaves and flowers, to enter the Zoo’s newest exhibit. See through the eyes of a bug - from multi-lensed bees and HD vision jumping spiders to the psychedelic sight of a mantis shrimp - before trying to spot miniature masters of camouflage and meeting the multi-talented aquatic animals who clean our oceans, seas and rivers. Take a break beneath the watery lights of a seven-metre-long reef aquarium, where visitors can watch schools of reef fish, including clownfish and blue tangs - known to many as Nemo and Dory - swim through a forest of corals rescued from the illegal wildlife trade by London Zoo’s experts. Step away and be mesmerised by the gentle movement of moon jellyfish, floating next door in all their translucent glory. Visit the zoo’s Partula Lab, where Critically Endangered tree snails are being reared as part of a vital breeding and reintroduction programme to save the species from extinction. Snails bred at London Zoo are released on the islands of French Polynesia - after invasive predators drove the species to extinction in the 1960s. Take a trip to In with the Spiders and the UK’s only spider walkthrough - where nothing stands between visitors and a clutter of golden orb spiders in their beautiful webs - plus discover other amazing arachnids and their incredible skills. Finally, discover an alternate world, where insects no longer exist, to explore just how different our daily lives would be without these largely unseen animals – spineless superheroes who do everything from cleaning the environment and revitalising soil to pollinating a third of the supermarket staples we buy every day. Once your Tiny Giants adventure is complete, head to the zoo’s Wildlife Garden to learn how to make gardens and windowsills across the country a welcoming place for these small but mighty creatures.

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