EXHIBIT CONTENTS

A Na tional Tra veling Exhi bit Presented by
EXHIBIT CONTENTS
Includes detailed descriptions and photos
The exhibi t features fi ve a reas: Nocturnal Envi ronments , Underground Envi ronments, Ca verns , Deep
Sea Envi ronments , and Humans In the Da rk.
The Darkness of Night. The fi rst clus ter of dioramas illumina tes animals that occupy three terrestrial
habi ta ts when ni ght falls: a fores t i n the Grea t Smoky Mountains; the Sonoran Desert; and a Louisiana
cypress swa mp. The 100-squa re-foot forest features a Ba rred Owl as i t surveys the forest a t night,
while a spotted skunk, salamanders , and a Bobca t fora ge for a meal. A small diora ma of the Sonora n
Desert captures an Elf Owl as i t spies on a Pallid Ba t pursing a s corpi on, while a moth feeds on a ni ghtblooming ca ctus . In the s mall swamp diorama a ni ght heron contempla tes the prospect of a cra yfish
dinner, while a Pi g Frog, baby alliga tor, and Cotton Mouse look on.
Fea tures :
A la rge walk-a round diora ma of a nocturnal fores t in the Grea t Smoky Mountains and a
small diorama of the Sonoran Desert at ni ght
Nocturnal Forest
Sonoran Desert
Night INTERACTIVES:
1. Night vs. Day—Identify nocturnal and diurnal species by sliding them i nto place in this mechani cal
displa y fea turi ng desert and swa mp habi tats .
Night vs. Day
2. Flashers of the Night—Wa tch flashing light pa tterns on an electroni c s creen, and a ttempt to
identi fy species' specifi c fi refl y signals. Every time the visitor makes a correct identi fica tion, they
a re "flashed".
3. The Pit Viper Game—This electroni c ga me invi tes guests to pla ce a snake puppet on thei r hand and
re-crea te how sna kes use hea t- sensing to tra ck thei r prey in the nighttime desert. Can you ca tch
your prey?
Pit-Viper Game
4. On the Red-eyed Express—Dis cover the different methods used by bi rds (and other animals) to
na vi ga te a t ni ghttime. Bi rds guide by the s ta rs or by sensing the ea rth's magnetic field.
5. Where Have all the Mammals Gone?—In this mechani cal intera cti ve, gues ts move the sun (da y)
and moon (ni ght) viewers a round a graphi c panel to uncover the hidden animals and dis cover when
they a re mos t a cti ve.
6. Who’s Out at Night—While viewi ng a mounted owl and skull, lea rn the physi ologi cal fea tures tha t
help owls loca te thei r prey a t night.
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Darkness within the Soil. Focusing a ttention cl oser to home, the exhibit takes a look a t the soil
beneath human feet. A cross-section of a ba ckya rd reveals i t to be teemi ng wi th life such as moles ,
termi tes, ci cadas, worms, and slugs li ving wi thin this seemi ngl y solid subs tra te.
Fea tures : A la rge diorama cut-awa y
of the ground benea th a
Midwes tern ba ckya rd.
Soil INTERACTIVES:
1. More than Meets the Eye—While peering through a n illumina ted panel, gues ts view a n unusual
sight—tiny organisms in the soil that ha ve a very i mporta nt job of causing deca y.
2. Robomite—In this computer game, gues ts pla y Robomite, a termi te-like cha racter that allows
gues ts to investi gate the underground da rkness of a termi te colony. Through the use of
pheromones and mechano-reception, Robomi te must negotia te through the colony, and i ntera ct
wi th the other termites to find food, dis cover the termi te queen, and map the colony before
Robomi te runs out of power.
3. Star-nosed Mole—The Sta r-nosed Mole has many fleshy appenda ges a round i ts nos trils. In this
computer i ntera cti ve, gues ts feel a ta ctile pad tha t simula tes the vi bra tions a mole ma y sense
wi thin i ts underground worl d.
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Darkness Deep within Caves. Ca ves offer a refuge tha t is completel y wi thout li ght. Guests recei ve a
dra ma tic introducti on to one type of ca ve as they walk through a recrea tion of a Kentucky ca ve formed
by the slow action of wa ter dissolving the limes tone over the millennia. This ca vern is inhabi ted both
by a nimals looking for tempora ry da rkness during the da y, such as ba ts , and by animals whose
ances tors wandered deeper into the ca ve and never re-emerged, such as blind ca ve fish, ca ve
fla tworms and ca ve cra yfish.
Fea tures : A walk-through ca ve diorama of a
Kentucky s olution ca ve
Ca ve INTERACTIVES:
1. A Cave Dweller’s Survival Guide— Pretending to be a ca ve-dwelling crea ture, gues ts use this guide
to improve thei r chances for survi val.
2. Bats Are Great Listeners—Guests listen to sounds a round them to echolocate like ba ts , and sense
whi ch wa y to "fl y" out of a computer “ca ve maze”.
3. Same Difference—Using what has already been learned about ca ve-dwellers , guests try to ma tch
the species to their above-ground “cousins ”.
4. Hole Heaven—Gues ts explore the adapta tions of animals like the ca ve salamander to dis cover how
they tra nsformed into ca ve-dwelling species over time, by following the s tory in this ca rtoon
displa y.
5. Subterranean Superstore—Gues ts dis cover tha t ani mals inside mos t ca verns a re dependent upon
food brought in from outside (photos yntheti c) sources . But, some ca ves a re sealed to the outside
world and depend on energy from chemos yntheti c sources . A mechani cal intera cti ve allows the
visi tor to compa re the food sources of closed and open ca ve s ys tems.
6. Be a Bat—Kids s tep inside a giant model of a ba t’s body and listen for the cli cks representing the
sona r a ba t uses to loca te prey. The closer objects a re to the ba t’s body, the fas ter the clicks occur.
Be a Bat
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Darkness of the Deep Sea. In the Da rk pl ummets to the depths of the sea , offering a glimpse of an
envi ronment tha t is not onl y eternall y da rk, but that does not even depend on the world of light for i ts
source of energy: a sulfur-bel ching vent field, two a nd a half kilometers below the ocean surfa ce. Here
life begins not wi th photos yntheti c plants, but wi th ba cteria that metabolize the sulfur released from
the ea rth's depths . Guests observe Tube Worms , cra bs, fish, shri mp and clams tha t feed on the
ba cteria or the life supported by i t. Elsewhere in the depths of the sea , life depends on photos yntheti c
plankton dri fting down from the a rea of light. A small di orama catches the magi c of some of the
biolumines cent inhabi tants of the wa ter column glowing in the da rkness as they trawl for prey.
Fea tures :
A li fe-si ze diorama of deep-sea vents a t the Galapagos Ri ft Vent Field, and a small diora ma
of the deep Pa cifi c Ocean floor
Deep Sea INTERACTIVES:
1. Deep Sea Dive—This computer displa y simula ting a di ving bell’s instrument panel allowing guests
to view the life forms at several levels of the ocean outside the “subma rine” as i t plummets towa rd
the ocean floor.
2. The Mating Game—In this mechani cal ma tching game, gues ts mus t decide the proper ma tes for
certain species of deep-sea crea tures . The solutions ma y not be as obvi ous as you think!
3. Putting Them in Their Place—Gues ts place di fferent ocean species in the correct ocean zones tha t
they inhabi t in this mechanical sliding ga me.
4. Hiding in Plain Sight—Several deep-sea crea tures emi t a biolumines cent light to match the light
a round them. Using this electroni c intera cti ve, gues ts try to keep a squid hidden in the light from
above.
5. Keep on the Level—Gues ts s tand on a full-body balancing devi ce, similar to the body design of a
jell yfish, and dis cover tha t an organ called the s ta tocys t helps a jell yfish to orient i ts body as i t
glides through the ocean da rkness.
Keep on the Level Game
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Darkness and Humans. In an urban residential setting, the exhibi t examines the intera ction of humans
wi th da rkness . Gues ts explore the myths and legends tha t ha ve a risen in di fferent human cul tures to
interpret night and darkness ; the history of maki ng light and exa mine how huma ns ha ve crea ted
technologi cal adapta tions to the da rk (many of whi ch pa rallel biologi cal adapta tions the visitor has
seen elsewhere in the exhibi t), and how some of these adapta tions ha ve effected the res t of the world.
Sa telli te i mages drama tize how people ha ve lit up the world, while text and graphi cs exa mine some
animals such as sea turtles whose na vi ga tion in the da rk is confused by our a rti fi cial lights . Gues ts ca n
try out va rious devi ces tha t use rada r, infra red and ima ge enhancement to see in the da rk. They also
can try out devi ces tha t ha ve been specifi call y invented to assist people tha t do li ve in the da rk, those
wi thout sight.
Fea tures : A li fe-si ze diorama of an urban residential setting, and a resource center/si tting a rea
complete wi th vi deos , books and a cti vi ties for gues ts to dis cover.
Human INTERACTIVES:
1. “Natural Technologies”—Guests compa re human technologies of sonar, rada r, motion sensors ,
ima ge-enhancers and infra red sensors to their sensory biological counterpa rts used by crea tures
such as bats , insects, sha rks and snakes .
2. Trust Your Ears—A ta ctile a rea (nea r the diora ma) is featured, where si ghted gues ts can test their
senses of hea ring and touch by ta pping blind canes on different surfa ces as they mi ght if they were
blind.
3. Test Yourself In the Dark—Gues ts mus t be qui ck! They a re on ca ndid camera . While seated in a
da rkened booth, gues ts try to put a shaped block into i ts correct hole. A night vision ca mera
displa ys thei r moves on a TV s creen outside the booth for other guests to wi tness .
4. Resource Center—Guests can si t down for a quiet break to read a rticles or books , wa tch a video or
pla y games and do In the Da rk cra fts in this resource a rea .
5. Using Other Senses—Guests view equipment designed especiall y for the blind and can try them
out wi th help of a host ins ti tution floor s taff.
6. The Earth At Night—Gues ts view several spa ce ima ges of the Ea rth at ni ght. This mechani cal
intera cti ve encourages them to try and identi fy the pla ces these photos represent based on light
visible from spa ce.
Earth at Night
7. Maps in the Mind—Try to visuall y memori ze the correct pa th through a ma ze, then close your
eyes , and using your finger, conquer the ma ze by tra cing the out the visual map in your mind. This
demons tra tes how many sight-i mpai red people negotia te thei r envi ronment.
8. Braille—Guests study the Braille alphabet provi ded, running fingers a cross the letters , and then
answer the tri via ques tions wri tten in Braille.