Special Exhibition

Extreme Animals Alive

Shape-shifting, mind control, invincibility and more!

Explore the unique adaptations that make Earth’s creatures fearless and fascinating, beautiful and bold.

Step into a graphic novel aiming to reveal the strange and wonderful specializations animals exhibit to give them a leg up on the competition or evade predators. Extreme Animals Alive invites you to get up close with a variety of critters, both familiar and unknown. Consider the unique characteristics that give animals the advantage from super speed to super stealth. Discover animals with “superpowers” that allow them to shape-shift, glow, or control the minds of other animals. Investigate the physical, behavioral and structural adaptations that allow animals to survive in unique environments. Opportunities to interact with live animals will occur daily!

Open Today: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

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Includes Permanent Exhibitions

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Located in Lower Level

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Please Note:

Now Open

Admission price includes access to all HMNS Permanent Exhibit Halls except certain Special Exhibitions and the Brown Hall of Entomology.

Please be aware that this is a live animal exhibit, which can be overwhelming to service animals. Service Animals that cannot remain under the control of their owners may be asked to leave the exhibit.

Thank You

Extreme Animals Alive is organized by the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

Exhibition Highlights

BIOFLUORESCENCE

A surprising number of animals glow under UV light…

Scientists have discovered the presence of biofluorescence in corals, arthropods, insects, fishes, mammals and more. But why do they fluoresce? Communication, camouflage, to attract prey and to avoid predators are all theories, but, in reality, we don’t fully know.

EXTREME HEAT

These animals can beat both the extreme heat the extreme cold of the Sahara desert...

Clever, physical adaptations help animals like the dromedary camel, the fennec fox and the Savanah monitor cope with blistering days in the desert where the temperatures can reach over 115°F. But when the sun goes down the temperatures drop by about 75 degrees and these same animals must be able to survive the night at near freezing temperatures.

SUPER SURVIVORS

Successful for hundreds of millions of years...

“Living fossils” such as the dragonfly and horseshoe crab, have evolved very slightly, if at all, from their ancient ancestors. They thrive today just as they did in the geologic past - perfectly adapted to both eras.

Touch Tank Feeding Experience

Get ready to become a shark expert!

Join our animal care staff as they make their morning rounds at our saltwater touch tanks and get an exciting peek into the life of a marine biologist. You'll feed, conduct wellness checks, and participate in training sessions with our sharks and stingrays. Your training will start with learning about the tank's life support system and how to perform a water health check. You will then help clean the tanks and delve into the specialized diets of these animals. Finally, you'll use a specialized feeding tool to participate in a feeding session. When your experience is complete, you will get a chance to visit Extreme Animals Alive with a greater appreciation for these amazing creatures!

Feast - Meet & Eat: Extreme Animal Encounters

June 21 | 8:30 a.m.

Jump into a real-life graphic novel where animals have wild superpowers! Think shapeshifting, glowing, mind control, and more. Meet live creatures up close--some you know, some you’ve never seen before--and find out how their weird and wonderful skills help them hunt, hide, and survive. Speed, stealth, or slime--who has the edge?

Includes breakfast, an exclusive tour with Museum docents, and special early access to the exhibit before it opens to the public.

All ages. All minors must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. No refunds.

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