As far as impact on the planet goes, the six-legged ones overwhelm the Fab Four. There are about 350,000 recorded kinds of beetles on Earth, compared to 58,000 named mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles (combined).
Marangelo offers an elegantly simple way to visualize the difference. She uses a pair of long glass vases and proportionately fills one with colored beads representing beetles and the other with different-colored beads representing all other creatures.
“It's really beautiful and informative,” said College of Arts and Sciences associate dean Carol Brewer, admiring Marangelo's handiwork, on display in the University of Montana's Health Sciences building.
The display has the immodest title “The Greatest Animal On Earth.” A circus theme links the exhibits. In addition to the glass vases, there's a traditional display of dozens of beetles with gigantic pinchers and glowing stripes and exotic colors. One in particular tends to distract passersby: It's got mandibles as big as a lobster's claw. Farther on, there's a depiction of beetle larva boring into tree bark and a mini-case of the beetles that clean meat off of bones.
“When people think of insects, they tend to think of the damage they cause,” Marangelo said. “But just 1 to 5 percent of all insects cause problems for humans. The rest are beneficial. They're scavengers. They eat all the dung and carrion. Without them, you'd be walking around in piles of poop.”
After seven years of researching beetles, Marangelo's new passion is finding ways to share her knowledge. She just finished a master's degree in the interdisciplinary study of curriculum development and museum exhibit design.
Her final project regularly stops traffic on the first floor of the Health Sciences building - a wall case mini-museum of the wonders of beetles. In fact, several summer day camps made the exhibit part of their curriculum in recent months.
The more Marangelo learned about beetles, the more she wanted to share her interest. While she often made science presentations to school classrooms, that life wasn't quite what she sought.
“I didn't see myself as a teacher - that's way too hard of a job,” she said. “I did see myself working in a museum, getting people excited about insects.”
While beetles were her first project, Marangelo's current target is creating a butterfly house in Missoula.
As she morphed from a researcher to a museum designer, Marangelo grew aware of the challenges besetting a public exhibition. Butterflies and beetles are living creatures, requiring the skills of a zookeeper as well as a docent to display. Fundraising and collaboration with other institutions are essential. But the attraction remains enticing.
“It's like walking into a magical world - all the color and warmth and the humidity, and thousands of butterflies flying around,” she said. “I just think of February in Missoula, when everybody's tired of winter, it would be nice to go into that warmth. It would be a nice tourist attraction - and an economic engine.”
Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at rchaney@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)