Below you will find a list of animal exhibits we have presented over the last few years along with brief descriptions. For more information, please click on the pictures shown to find out more about that specific animal. To see more photos of our animal exhibits "in action" please visit the NHECM's programs link.
- Animals of the Rainforest (2007-08)
 White-nosed Coatimundi (Nasau narica) Coatimundis (ko-WAH-ti-MUN-dee) are mammals related to the raccoon, but are distinguished with their long face, mobile and up-turned snout, bear like paws and a slender elongated tail. It is found in many places including the humid Amazonian rainforest where they live and sleep in the canopy of trees. It's considered an omnivore where its paws help it dig and burrow for insects, berries and fruit. Coatis grow to be the size of a housecat and are social animals that communicate with chirping noises.
Please click on the above picture to see and hear Coatis, for a online worksheet to learn more about Coatimundis, click here.
 Albino Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus)Burmese pythons are one of the largest snakes and can grow up to 23 feet and weigh up to 200 pounds! Their habitat ranges throughout Southeast Asia (including Burma) and they are excellent swimmers, good climbers and have prehensile tails. Albino Burmese pythons occur due to a lack of melatonin in their genes.
Please visit the "vocabulary" section for more info on albinism.
 Bird-eating Tarantula (Theraphosa blondi) This tarantula is the largest spider in the world. Contrary to its name, it does not eat birds but rather invertebrates such as crickets, mealworms, moths and occasionally vertebrates like frogs, mice and lizards. Tarantulas have hair on their bodies, abdomens and legs which they may throw (urticate) as a defense mechanism. They do have fangs, but rarely bite and the venom is generally as harmless as a wasp's sting. Tarantulas have poor eyesight and rely on vibrations of the ground to sense prey.
 Giant African Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas) These millipedes are the largest species of millipedes and have 2 pairs of legs per segment on their bodies which distinguishes them from centipedes which only have 1 pair. Their segments allow them to easily burrow and they feed on decaying plant matter. Contrary to their Latin name meaning "one thousand", they typically only have between 80 and 400 legs. Their defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil and may emit a chemical liquid among the pores on the outside of its body.
 Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) This is the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2-3 inches and are from the island of Madagascar off the African coast. They are wingless (unlike most cockroaches) and feed on vegetable material. Their ability to "hiss" is unique in that the sounds are made by forcing air through breathing holes in their abdomen, rather than rubbing its legs together like most insects.
 Yellow-tree Monitor (Varanidae) This species of monitor was only recently discovered although monitors as a family are an ancient group relating back to dinosaurs. It has a long, forked tongue used for chemoreception (similar to a nose detecting the "smell" of its food). They are large lizards that are diurnal and feed on carrion. This family includes Komodo dragons and these types of lizards range from living in trees to water, but all must lay their eggs on land.
 African Pyxie Frog (Pyxicephalus adsperus) These are also known as the "African Bullfrog" (native to Sub-Saharan Africa) and is the second largest frog in the world (next to the Goliath Frog). They reach 8 inches in length and are voracious eaters, including feeding on mice and other small mammals. They have appendages on their feet which help them burrow and dig.
 Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) Burmese Pythons, as stated earlier, are some of the largest snakes in the world, reaching up to 23 feet in length and native to Southeast Asia. They are carnivorous, eating birds and small mammals and attacks by biting its prey, then wrapping itself tightly around the animal (i.e. constricting it) until it asphyxiates its food. Females lay clutches of about 12-36 eggs and incubates them by wrapping around them, twitching her muscles to keep them warm.
 Pueblan Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum) This is a subspecies of milk snakes which have a range from southeastern Canada to western Ecuador and northern Venezuela and will grow 20-60 inches long. These snakes are nocturnal and eat lizards, birds, frogs and other snakes. They have shiny scales that alternate bands of red-black-yellow or white-black-red whcih mimic the colors of the deadly coral snake. This mimicry helps scare away potential attackers. A helpful tool to identify the harmless milk snake is "Red touches Black...you're OK Jack, Red touches Yellow...you're a dead fellow".
 Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) This is the largest freshwater turtle in the world and lives primarily in the southern U.S. These turtles have large heads and three dorsal ridges of scales, which give it a more prehistoric appearance over the common snapping turtle. The inside of their mouths are camoflaged with a worm-shaped tip on its tongue which it wiggles while lying motionless waiting to attract small fish as its prey. Alligator snapping turtles typically live from 20-70 years, but are believed to be capable of living up to 150 years old!
- Birds of Prey & Rats to Raptors
 Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) This large owl is native to North and South America and has a wingspan from 40 to 60 inches. The "horns" or ear tufts aren't actually ears but tufts of feathers. These birds cannot move their eyes, so their neck must be able to turn a full 270 degrees without moving the rest of its body. Its stereo hearing allows it to locate prey by tilting and turning its head until it pinpoints where the sounds are coming from. Owls are nocturnal and hunt small mammals, including rats, squirrels, mice, moles and sometimes rabbits. They catch their prey by waiting at their perch then swooping down to attack.
 Barred Owl (Strix varia) This owl, also known as the "hoot" owl, tends to live in dense woods across Canada, eastern United States and south to Central America. It generally hunts near dawn or dusk, or even cloudy days, and feeds on mostly mice and other small rodents. This owl is the only owl in the United States that has brown eyes, all other owls have yellow eyes. Its vocalizations include buzzy or raspy hisses when agitated.
 Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) This bird of prey has a nickname of "chickenhawk" and can be found throughout North America, from northern Canada down to Panama and the West Indies. These hawks have even adapted to urban living, the most famous of which included a breeding pair that nested in the middle of New York City. Red-tailed Hawks have a wing span from 43 to 57 inches and as its name suggests, has a characteristic brick-red tail. These are so common that the majority of hawks used for falconry are Red-tailed Hawks.
 Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Turkey Vultures are also known as Turkey "Buzzards" and are found throughout most of the Americas. It has a wingspan of 68 to 72 inches with black plumage and a purplish-red head, which looks like a turkey's head, giving it its name. Turkey vultures are scavengers and feed exclusively on carrion, which it detects my flying low and smelling out dead animals. They roost in large groups and oftentimes are seen spreading its wings, which may help it dry their wings, warm their body or even rid it of bacteria. Its defense mechanism includes regurgitating its food which smells so bad it keeps away predators from its nest.
 Albino Rats Rats are examples of the type of small mammals and rodents that many birds of prey hunt. They represent part an important link in our discussion of the "food" chain and how each animal has an important role in its ecosystem. These rats are albino, meaning that their hair and eyes lack the pigment: melatonin. Varieties of rats are found throughout the world and are commonly used for scientific testing as well as pets.
 Grey Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta spiloides) This is a species of rat snake found throughout forests of the Midwest and they feed primarily on rodents. Grey rat snakes are distinguished by their light grey color with dark grey blotches. They are typically skittish and can be agressive, but are nonvenomous and bites are only superficial. They sneak up on their prey by grabbing them quickly. Snakes eat their prey by un-"hinging" its jaws allowing it to swallow small animals that are much larger that their mouths.
 Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) Opossums are amazingly adaptable and probably are descended from South American marsupials. They are originally native to the Eastern US but have spread throughout the US and into Canada. Opossums are omnivores and have a flexible diet ranging from dog food left outside to carrion. They are also nocturnal and are known the "play dead" when scared, where they actually faint involuntarily and remain unconscious for a period of time. Since they are marsupials, they give birth to young who live and develop further in their pouch. They primarily live in trees and their prehensile tails help them keep balance and wrap around limbs. Only young opossums can hang upside down by their tails, since adults are too heavy.
 Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Red foxes have the widest range of all carnivores and native to Canada, Alaska and the rest of the US, Europe, North Africa and most of Asia. It was introduced to Australia around 1850 and have been used for hunting as sport as well as for their fur. Red foxes are unique in having excellent eyesight and agility, making it almost "cat-like". They hunt alone and eat various small mammals, locating prey in thick grass by listening for them and pouncing. Foxes also have small stomachs and usually store some of their food in shallow holes. In the winter, their coats get thicker and they wrap their tails around them to keep warm. Foxes raise their young, called "kits", in dens.
 Bobcat (Lynx rufus) Bobcats are the smaller, North American cousins of the Canadian Lynx, and can be distinguished by the black bars on its front legs and black-tipped, stubby tail. It is an adaptable predator and its habitat ranges from wooded areas, deserts, urban areas and swampland. It can hunt anything from rabbits and hares to deer and antelope. Bobcats are nocturnal but their habits vary and sometimes are considered crepuscular for being most active at twilight and dawn. Similar to other cats, a Bobcat's pupils are elongated and will widen at night to allow the more light in and sharpen its nocturnal vision. They also have sharp hearing and smell, are excellent climbers and even capable of swimming, though they generally avoid it.
 Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Raccoons are omnivorous mammals native to North America. Their native habitat are dense forests but they have adapted to live near urban areas and are sometimes considered pests. Their black facial markings appear as masks and their tails are striped with brown and black. Raccoons eat berries, insects, eggs and chickens, among other things, and sometimes douse their food in water first. They usually live in hollow trees, burrows or caves and many species of raccoons hibernate in the winter. Raccoons are not naturally aggressive and any signs of aggression may indicate a disease.
 Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) Flying squirrels do not actually "fly" but really glide from tree branches. This is done by spreading out and adjusting the skin flaps (patagium) between the front wrists and back feet and their tails act as stablizers, like the tail of a kite. They are nocturnal animals and are considered prey for many arboreal (tree dwelling) animals, including snakes, raccoons and owls.
 Short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) These are small members of the oppossum family and are approximately the size of small rats. They are marsupials and are typically found in arboreal areas in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. Its tail is prehensile and is sometimes used to wrap around bedding for carrying or to help stabilize it on tree branches. Unlike many marsupials, the females do not have pouches.
 Albino Hedgehog (Erinaceinae erinaceomorpha) Hedgehogs got their name during the Middle Ages in England since they lived in hedgerows and had "hog"-like snouts. Species of hedgehogs are found throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and New Zealand - but they are not native to the US. Their spines are actually hollow hairs made stiff with keratin and unlike porcupines, the quills cannot be removed. They are primarily nocturnal and eat insects. Their defense mechanism involves rolling into a tight ball where only the spines are exposed. They dig out dens for shelter with their four-toed paws and they are fairly vocal, communicating in snuffles, grunts and sometimes squeals.
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