The museum's Tropical Forest has become the first and only butterfly enclosure in Australasia to achieve accreditation from the Zoo and Aquarium Association.
Association representatives audited the museum's welfare standards and the care of its animals, assessing them by five criteria - nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental or affective state.
The museum's living environments collection holds species of fish, birds, butterflies, frogs, turtles and tarantulas.
A rare jewelled gecko was introduced to the collection in December last year.
Museum living environments and science engagement operations manager Sam Botting said she was ''pleased'' the museum had been acknowledged for its hard work in caring for its living environments collection.
''This accreditation is a significant achievement and is not only reflective of the work that we do, but also of the type of experience we want our visitors to have with the treasured species that call the museum home.''
