Theodor Löbbecke (1821-1901)
The Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum looks back on over 150 years of history: in 1873, the pharmacist Theodor Löbbecke opened a private museum at the Schadowstraße in Düsseldorf. In this museum he mainly exhibited his collection of mussel and snail shells, which he had amassed over many years and which - according to some sources - was the largest in Europe at the time. After his death, his wife bequeathed the collection to the city of Düsseldorf on condition that a museum open to the public be established. This was done in 1904 and a larger-than-life marble bust was made in Löbbecke's honour, which has been on display in the museum since its opening and still welcomes our guests in our foyer today.
Adaptations at all levels
There are many millions of species of living creatures on earth, large and small, on land, in water and in the air. They all have special adaptations that enable them to survive, feed and reproduce successfully in their habitat. The beginning of every food chain is formed by plants (e.g. tiny plankton algae), which absorb nutrient salts, carbon dioxide (CO2) and water and utilise solar energy. Animals need organic food as an energy source, e.g. algae or other animals. At the end of the food chain are large species such as the sperm whale or humans.
First forms of life
Around 3.8 billion years ago, bacteria and archaebacteria were the first living organisms on earth. Science has not yet been able to clarify exactly how and where they developed. They probably originated at hot springs in the primeval ocean or on land. However, it is also being discussed whether the first building blocks of life arrived on Earth with meteorites, i.e. rocks from outer space.
From single-celled organisms to mammals
Life on earth began in the Precambrian about 3.8 billion years ago. Since then, a huge variety of life forms have developed from the first single-celled organisms. We refer to this process as evolution. It takes place continuously, even today. Evolution is based on the fact that individuals differ (variability), that changes in the genetic material occur again and again (mutations) and that the genetic material is constantly shuffled (recombination). The organisms that adapt well to their environmental conditions are more likely to survive (selection) and pass on their characteristics to subsequent generations. Evolution allows new species to emerge and others to extinct.
Marine habitats
Many different habitats can be found in the world's oceans based on different environmental conditions. The Wadden Sea and the deep sea, for example, differ in terms of water depth, temperature, bottom composition, light intensity, water movement and nutrient content. They are colonised by creatures that are adapted to these conditions - through their morphology, diet, locomotion and reproduction.
Tropical coral reefs
Corals are cnidarians (Cnidaria) that build up massive calcareous skeletons. Tropical stony corals require nutrient-poor water with a year-round temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius. As they can only thrive in symbiosis (partnership) with unicellular, photosynthetically active algae, they need plenty of light. In addition, a strong water current is required to supply the sessile corals with food particles and oxygen-rich water. Over the course of many centuries, tropical stony corals can create huge reefs. Calcifying algae, protozoa, worms, crustaceans, snails, bryozoans and others support reef formation. Tropical coral reefs are the most species-rich habitats in the oceans. As huge calcareous formations, they are important carbon dioxide reservoirs, but are threatened by the consequences of climate change - rising water temperatures and acidification of the oceans by carbon dioxide.
Foraging in the sea
Marine animals have many different ways of feeding. Predators grab a prey animal, swallow it whole or cut it up beforehand. Other animals suck up food particles from the bottom or grasp them like tweezers. Substrate feeders eat their way through the seabed and utilise the organic parts. Grazers move slowly and ingest mainly plant food. Large baleen whales as well as countless small and mostly sessile sea creatures feed on food particles suspended in the seawater. In addition, many marine animals absorb nutrients dissolved in the water via the surface of their skin.
Colonisation of freshwaters
Freshwater and seawater mix in the area of estuaries and coastal marshes. This brackish water area has been colonised by various marine animals over the course of evolution. The first immigrants found an extensive colonisation area, new food sources and protection here. In turn, adaptation to the reduced, changing salinity and currents was necessary.
Foraging in freshwater
In freshwaters, the range of food sources is broad: from organic suspended matter, tiny algae, higher plants, soft or armoured small animals to amphibians, fish or birds. Animals have developed a wide range of adaptations to access these food sources. Mussels have a filter apparatus to ingest suspended particles and plankton, snails crush their food with a rasping tongue. Parasites suck body fluids or absorb nutrients through their skin. Many animals grasp or cut up their food with movable jaws. In the evolution of vertebrates, these first appeared in fish. The shape and arrangement of a mouth, together with the position of the jaws and the types of teeth on them, allow conclusions to be drawn about the respective food of a fish.
Body characteristics and habitat
Fish colonise different habitats, such as thickets of plants on lake shores or the main current of rivers. The colouring, eye position, mouth, fin and body shape of the animals are developed accordingly. If species develop the same body characteristics in adaptation to similar living conditions, this phenomenon is known as convergence. Fish that live in the main current of rivers, for example, always have streamlined bodies, strong propulsive fins and a forward-facing mouth. Carriers of convergences often also have a similar way of life (food spectrum, behaviour) - they then occupy the same ecological niche.
Space and swarm behaviour
Animals are adapted to a specific area of their habitat and prefer to live there. For example, there are species that colonise the bottom of the water, lurk under the surface, seek out strong currents or hide in the shadow of the current. Some fish species form large shoals that offer them protection from predators. A shoal has no leader. Sounds, odours, visual signals and differences in pressure perceived via the lateral line organ support shoaling and cohesion.
Inhabitants of our waters
The diversity of species in our native waters is comparatively low; fewer than 100 species of fish and amphibians live in North-Rhine-Westphalia. This is partly due to the fact that our waters were only formed after the last ice age and are therefore still relatively young. Some species have disappeared due to pollution and the construction of waterways; however, humans have also introduced some alien species. Freshwaters are vital for us: as drinking water reservoirs and food sources, for irrigating fields and for cooling technical facilities.
The shore leave
With the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life, many new adaptations developed, e.g. supporting elements or organs for air respiration. The evolutionary process of going on land took several million years. Unicellular organisms, fungi, plants and animals carried it out several times and independently of each other.
Large climates
Climate refers to the totality of all weather conditions in a particular area over the course of a year. The earth can be divided into different climate zones. They are created by the fact that the earth's surface is heated unevenly by the sun. This is why it is cold at the poles and warm at the equator. The uneven distribution of heat causes typical winds, which are decisive for the climates, as they move warm or cold, dry or moist air masses. Other factors that influence the climate are the distribution of water and land areas, ocean currents, mountain ranges, the activity of living organisms and volcanism.
The diversity of arthropods
The secret rulers of our planet are the arthropods, which include insects, arachnids, crustaceans and millipedes. They have the greatest diversity of species of all animal phyla. For example, there are 380,000 species of beetle alone. By comparison, all vertebrates together, which include mammals, birds and fish, do not even reach a quarter of this diversity with a total of 70,000 species.
Typical characteristics of arthropods
All arthropods have a protective, chitinous carapace - an exoskeleton. To ensure that they are still mobile, the rigid carapace is divided into many sections (segments). This also applies to the animals' articulated feet that give them their name. Most arthropods have compound eyes made up of many individual eyes. The abdominal nervous system is subdivided into many segments. The heart is located at the back. However, it does not pump the blood through veins, but flows freely between the organs inside the body. The antennae, also known as feelers, are an important sensory organ. They can use them to feel and smell. The mouthparts have an extremely varied structure and arrangement. They enable a broad spectrum of food intake: from chewing and biting to piercing and sucking.
The oceans and mankind
The permanent exhibition "The oceans and mankind" sheds light on mankind's ambivalent relationship with the sea: from the first explorers and further exploration on the one hand to the overexploitation and pollution of the oceans on the other. Get to know the inhabitants of this habitat even better, see the ocean through the eyes of diving pioneer Hans Hass and discover myths and legends about the sea - or go diving yourself in a submarine!
Tropical rainforest
Geographically, the tropics lie along the equator between the northern tropic (Tropic of Cancer) and the southern tropic (Tropic of Capricorn). Tropical rainforests grow mainly in low-lying areas near the equator with high temperatures and humidity. They once covered around 20 per cent of the land surface, but today they only cover 7 per cent. Nevertheless, they harbour the greatest diversity of species on earth. Up to 600 tree species thrive per hectare of rainforest. A single tree can provide a habitat for over 150 species of beetles. The rainforests are also extremely important for the climate.
Diversity of amphibians
In the Devonian period, around 360 million years ago, the first amphibians developed from fish with strong, fleshy fins. This close relationship becomes clear during larval development, which usually takes place in water. The thin, moist skin enables skin respiration, but also binds the amphibians to moist locations as adults. The more than 8,700 amphibian species known today are extremely diverse and show astonishing adaptations. More than a third of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction.
Diversity of reptiles
Crocodiles, turtles, squamates (lizards, snakes) and tuatara, also known as reptiles, have horny plates or scales on their skin for protection. Turtles and crocodiles also have a bony armour. Reptiles are cold-blooded and lay their mostly hard-shelled eggs on land. Only a few of the approximately 10,000 species are viviparous. According to modern systematics, reptiles and birds form the common group of sauropsids. Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than to the other reptile groups.
Movement on land
The heaviest land animals known to us were dinosaurs, weighing up to 80 tonnes. Like all land animals, they needed a strong supporting apparatus and powerful muscles to be able to carry their own bodies. Animals can grow significantly larger in water, as this medium is around 800 times denser than air and can therefore "carry" whales weighing up to 200 tonnes. However, the less dense medium of air does not slow down locomotion as much: A cheetah can run faster than a fish or whale swims. The "technique" of locomotion makes a big difference. A crawling snail is slower than a running mouse. In addition, many animals can adapt their mode of locomotion to the respective requirements. For example, there are lizards that can run, swim and even glide.
Camouflage and warning
Remaining unnoticed is essential for the survival of many species. Camouflage can be achieved in different ways such as colouring, body shape or behaviour. Animals often imitate objects in their environment (mimesis). Or they optically dissolve their shape against a background by using the appropriate colour, pattern and shape (somatolysis). Others cover themselves with objects to camouflage themselves (masking). In contrast, many defensive, poisonous or bad-tasting animals warn with conspicuous signal colours (warning colours). Some harmless animals in turn imitate dangerous or bad-tasting animal species and protect themselves with this false warning colour (mimicry). Others present an attacker with a surprisingly frightening costume with conspicuous colours, patterns and body structures, e.g. large eye spots.
Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum
The traditional Düsseldorf institute is a unique combination of zoo, aquarium and natural history museum. The conservation and breeding projects, research, collections and educational activities of the Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum are dedicated to the conservation of natural diversity. The specimens on display here are exemplary for a collection of over one million individual objects in the basement of the institute, which can even be visited here.
Back to the sea
For over three billion years, living creatures existed only in the seas and fresh waters before they colonised the land. In adapting to the conditions on land, mammals and birds developed strong limbs, powerful sensory organs and a high metabolism. With the help of these characteristics, some mammals and birds gradually returned to the water with great success. The degree of their adaptation varies, which is also reflected in the diving performance of these lung-breathing animals.
World of minerals
Around 5,000 minerals are known to date. As the building blocks of our earth and its living creatures, they are formed in the earth's interior, can be transformed several times and can weather again. Minerals consist of various elements and can form uniform crystals. Their structure depends on the conditions under which they grow. Rocks are formed by mixtures of different minerals, glasses or the remains of living organisms.
Magazine
Welcome to the time capsule of the Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum! In our museum we keep a natural history collection of animal and plant specimens, fossils and minerals - and have been doing so for over 150 years! One of the most important parts of the collection is a collection of shells and snails with around 360,000 objects, most of which were collected by our museum founder Theodor Löbbecke. However, with over 500,000 individual objects, our insect collection is by far the most extensive. In total, there are over one million individual objects. A natural history collection like this serves scientists as a basis for their research work, but can also be used for exhibitions and nature education. It documents when and where which creatures once lived. Especially now, in view of the massive extinction of species, preserving the collection for the future is one of our most important tasks.
Pump cellar
A large part of the Aquazoo's technical equipment is located in this room. In addition to the control centre, pumps, pressure filters and trickle filters are housed here, which ensure the biological cleaning of the saltwater aquariums and some larger freshwater aquariums. There are many different test points that make it possible to test the water quality before and after cleaning. The salt water for the aquariums is produced in the mixing tank and stored in the larger storage tank next to it.
Feeding insects
In this area, mainly migratory locusts (Acrididae) and steppe crickets (Gryllus assimilis) are bred. In all stages of development, these insects can be fed to arachnids, other insects, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. The silk spiders (Nephila) in the large terrariums are bred for exhibition purposes. In addition, research has been carried out for several years on the silk of these arachnids. This is being analysed in the laboratory for its ability to serve as a matrix for the cultivation of artificial bone and cartilage tissue.
Paedagogy departement
They are located directly in front of the seminar rooms of the education department of the Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum. The focus of the educational work is on observing the animals in the exhibition together. The seminar rooms are available for the subsequent examination of natural objects and for discussions. In addition to school lessons, workshops on scientific topics, training courses, conferences and children's birthday parties are also held here. Guided tours, information tables and special events round off the education department's programme. With our programmes, we want to inspire people for animals and the conservation of nature.
Skeleton of a sperm whale
The largest object in our exhibition is the skeleton of this approximately 17 metre long male sperm whale. The animal stranded on the Dutch coast in 1970, was subsequently skeletonised by the Leiden Natural History Museum and placed in the Aquazoo Löbbecke Museum years later. Sperm whales are mammals like us and are descended from four-legged, land-living animals. This evolutionary history can still be seen today in the animal's pelvic girdle, which is only barely present. Its arms are also striking: they are made of the same bones as ours and prove our kinship with whales.
