We are excited to announce that we have an agreement with the new owners of the Fashion Outlets to remain in our current location and will not have to move! This does mean that we will have to start charging admission, but we are going to strive to keep the price as low as possible. We will also begin offering memberships soon. We will begin charging admission on December 26, The last day to see the Museum for free will be December 23. Come in and shop for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers and preview the Museum! For hours, location, and admission prices click HERE to go to our VISIT TH ..read more

Our fundraising video debuts at noon on Sunday, September 10 Click here for Fundraising Video ..read more

This is the giant desert centipede (Scolopendra heros) that was brought in a few weeks ago that was found in Artesia, New Mexico.. Nicknamed "Longfellow" for its enormous size, it is likely female despite this masculine sounding moniker. She was out in about and relatively straightened out (hmm...possible song lyric?) so I took the opportunity to lay a tape measure next to her. As you can see, her body/head region alone is around 9" not including her terminal legs and antennas. I suspect with legs and antennas straightened out she'd be close to 12". Easily the biggest American centipede I've ..read more

This is Strider, our plumed basilisk! Many people assume basilisks get their name from the mythological creature (popularized by the Harry Potter books and movies) but the name actually means “little king” in Greek, a reference to the crest on the head. Both male and female basilisks have the head crest, but only males develop the crest on the back. Basilisks are also known as “Jesus Christ lizards” for their ability to run across the water on their hind legs for a surprising distance as a way of evading predators. They can do this thanks to long toes with special fringes that allow them to p ..read more

We were shocked and saddened to learn that our dear friend Oliver Greer passed away on Friday, March 17th. Ollie was the creator of the astounding Crawlywood Collection that we were honored to display for over nine years at the Harrell House Bug Museum and hoped to display again when we eventually open a permanent location for the Santa Fe Reptile and Bug Museum. Anyone who talked to Ollie knew how passionate he was, not just about bugs, but also about movies, filmmaking, music, and much more. He loved nothing more than to share his passions with everyone he met. His passion was infectious ..read more

Please join us for our LOVE BUGS fundraiser on Sunday, February 19th! We will have special activities in person at the Pop-Up Bug Museum (8380 Cerrillos Rd, Suite 108) from 12-5. You can also join the fun online through the Santa Fe New Mexican's website, copy and paste this link to sign up and get a reminder before the event: https://www.redziaevents.com/e/santa-fe-reptile-bug-museum-community-fundraiser/tickets (note there is no charge to sign up!) You can see the event itself at The Santa Fe New Mexican Website starting at 12 noon Sunday ..read more

What is a “Pop-Up” Bug Museum? It’s the temporary home of The Santa Fe Reptile and Bug Museum of course! We are seeking a permanent, physical location in Santa Fe and are currently fundraising with this goal in mind. Finding a suitable permanent location is going to be a long process! We decided to open a smaller, temporary version of the Museum in the meantime so that we could continue to serve the community as well provide a place for our animals. until we find the right space. For location and hours of the Pop-Up Bug Museum click here: https://santafereptileandbug.org/visit-the-museum ..read more

Frilled lizards originate in Australia and New Guinea. they are also known as “frilled dragons” and “frilled necked lizards”. They use the neck “frill” to make themselves look larger to scare off predators. Most of the time it is folded up against the neck and shoulders. They are mostly arboreal (tree-dwelling) lizards, and often cling vertically to tree trunks, their mottled gray pattern provides excellent camouflage against the tree bark. On the ground they can run quite fast, often on their hind legs. Frilled lizards are primarily insectivores. We feed Willow crickets, cockroaches, and m ..read more

Noodle is one of our oldest animals! Although her species is native to northeastern Australia, Noodle was born in the USA in 1999 at the home of Museum founder Wade Harrell. Northern Blue-Tongued Skinks are the second largest species of skink, a lizard family with more than 1,500 different species. They are typically between 18 inches and 24 inches long, which is more than twice the size of most skinks! The only skink that gets bigger is the prehensile-tailed skink from the Solomon Islands that can get over three feet. Blue-Tongued skinks are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and other ..read more

Everard was one of the first reptiles donated to the Harrell House Bug Museum, soon after we first opened in 2013. Everard has proven to be a gentle and friendly snake, and has been a popular “ambassador animal” for many years. When the Harrell House first opened we really were all bugs, but over time we have taken in a variety of reptiles, so when the time came to reboot as a nonprofit we decided to officially recognize reptiles in our name! To this day the majority of our reptiles came to us as donations from people. Because they remain a modest size (ball pythons rarely exceed five feet) a ..read more