Talks and shows

Wasps vs snakes vs rats

Which of these unloved creatures is actually the best? You decide!

Image credit: Unsplash

Our televisions are filled with programmes exploring the lives of animals, but these often focus on fluffy, ‘cute’ animals like pandas, meercats and otters. But what about the rest of the animal kingdom? When will they get their moment in the spotlight? 

At this talk, three scientists will try to persuade you that the typically unloved animal they study is actually amazing. Will you be won over by wasps, swayed by snakes or roused by rats? Join us to explore the amazing behaviours of these typically unloved animals, and hopefully gain a new appreciation for the less popular animals we share the planet with.  

This event is particularly suitable for ages 7+. As with all our family theatre talks, this event is designed to be enjoyed by adults and children together. All young people under the age of 13 need to be accompanied by a paying adult and those aged 4 and above need a ticket to attend.

 

Event type

This is a theatre only event where the speakers and audience are together in our Theatre.

By booking to attend events at the Royal Institution, you confirm that you have read and accept the Ri's event terms and conditions. You also agree to abide by our code of conduct, and help to create a great experience for yourself and your fellow participants. Please note that Eventbrite adds a small booking fee to the amount paid for each ticket option.

For any queries regarding this event please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

About the Speakers

Dr Vikki Neville is an animal welfare scientist at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on identifying and remedying welfare issues, and understanding how to accurately and objectively measure welfare - particularly in laboratory and companion rats. This has included the development of guidelines for pet rat housing, development of automated tasks and computational approaches to measure rat welfare, and discourse on the scientific study of emotion in animals.        



Prof Seirian Sumner is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at University College London. Her work research sits at the interface of behavioural ecology, biodiversity and conservation. She uses a combination of field ecology and genomic techniques to address questions about how and why animals live in societies. She is especially interested in social wasps, and is working hard to raise the profile of these ecologically important insects, among both scientific and lay communities. As part of these efforts, she co-founded the Big Wasp Survey in 2017 – a citizen science project designed to engage the public with the diversity and importance of social wasps in their back yard.       



Dr Jeff Streicher is Senior Curator in Charge, Amphibians and Reptiles at the Natural History Museum. These collections are used by an international research community to understand the historical and future drivers of biodiversity. His research explores diversification and speciation via analyses of high-throughput DNA sequences, morphology, and spatial data.

Timing

The doors will open at approximately 5.30pm, with a prompt start at 6.00pm.

Latecomers will be admitted into the gallery.

Covid guidelines

Face masks are no longer mandatory and wearing one in our Theatre and at other Ri events is at your discretion, however please do not attend the Ri if you are displaying Covid symptoms or, if you have tested, the result remains positive. Thank you for respecting other people and their choices, and for helping us keep all of our visitors and staff safe and well.

Accessibility

The event will take place on the first floor and there is step-free access from the street via lift.

The closest underground station is Green Park, which is step-free.

There is space at floor level in the theatre for wheelchair users.

Seating is usually unreserved for our events. If you and your group require seating reservations, please do let us know by emailing us at events@ri.ac.uk, and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Carers can receive a free ticket to an event by emailing events@ri.ac.uk.

Our theatre is equipped with an Audio Induction Loop. 

Event terms and conditions