A new museum in Nova Scotia has a curious theme: the weirder, the better.

Fittingly named “The Odditorium,” the quizzical exhibit in Sydney is stocked with a hodgepodge of ancient shark teeth, dinosaur vertebrae, gemstones and even a jawbone from a long-extinct wooly rhinoceros.

Owner Aneal Virick and his wife have been touring their collection around flea markets and schools for about a year, but decided to showcase their trove in a permanent gallery.

“This is a space for your nerd flag to fly,” Virick told CTV Atlantic.

Strange treasures are tucked in every corner of the space. A cabinet dedicated to meteorites profiles space rocks collected from around the world, and the walls are filled with frames of insects, including Indonesian stink bugs that look like human faces.

The joy in collecting weird pieces comes from sharing them, Virick said.

“To see a kid’s eyes light up when they come in here, when they put a meteorite in their hand, when they put a Megaladon tooth in their hand, when they put a piece of dinosaur poop in their hand.”

It’s also about shining a spotlight on a different sort of beauty, Virick said.

“It’s easy to look at a rose and go, ‘Ah, nature is so beautiful and nature is so awesome.’ But to look at some of these other things like stink bugs that look like human faces … nature is crazy, why not showcase it?”

The Odditorium is expected to be open to the public on Friday.

With a report from CTV Atlantic