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Home / Exhibits / Special Exhibits / Crittercam
National Geographic Crittercam:
The World Through Animal Eyes
At The Woodlands Xploration Station
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Through September 1, 2008
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Through January 1, 2009
Swim through tropical landscapes with turtles, dive beneath the ice with penguins and forage in the forest with a family of bears. Experience life as animals do in National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes at .
Crittercam, a scientific video- and data-gathering tool safely worn by wild animals, was invented by National Geographic marine biologist Greg Marshall to capture unique insight into animal behavior and clues to help protect animals and the world we share. Through interactive displays, firsthand footage, and evocative environments, visitors can explore the stories of animals all over the world, including seals and sea lions, sharks, sea turtles, whales, penguins, bears and lions.
In a section devoted to Seals and Sea Lions, a series of viewing and listening stations show how these animals communicate, hunt, feed, care for their young and attract mates. The Sharks section offers a close-up view of an 18-foot great white shark model and illustrates the hunting and migratory behaviors of several shark species.
Learn how sea turtles search for mates, their foraging behaviors and how they avoid becoming a meal themselves. From atop a life-size model of a leatherback, children and adults can watch point-of-view footage from a female of this species, while other displays show life as seen by loggerhead and hawksbill turtles.
Enter into a chamber of bubbles to see the cooperative behavior of humpbacks, known as bubble net or lunge feeding. Other highlights include an up-close look at the toothed whales of Hawaii and footage of the mysterious “unicorn of the sea,” the narwhal.
Discover the world of Penguin Ranch, the penguin deployment site of the Crittercam team in Antarctica, to investigate a penguin’s life beneath the ice. Squeeze into an observation tube to watch a video of penguins soaring underwater; youngsters crawl through a tunnel and pop up in a bubble to come face-to-face with a penguin wearing a working Crittercam. On exiting the tunnel, children view footage of themselves from the penguin’s perspective.
In the Land Animals section of the exhibition, learn about the trial-and-error process of developing the terrestrial version of Crittercam, this program’s newest development. Discover this land-based technology, from deployments on domestic dogs and cats to partnerships with animal rehabilitation centers. Examine the unique challenges of studying land animals, from penetrating the dense forest habitat of the grizzly bear to getting the Crittercam collar to pass the lion cub “chew toy” test. Point-of-view footage shows a young Alaskan bear cub napping, feeding and traveling with its family, as well as a lioness hunting, tending to her cubs and sharing a meal with them.
In the final section of the exhibition, design a Crittercam using a Build-a-Cam computer interactive; touch a Crittercam model; and examine deployment methods such as an adhesive patch, penguin harness and suction cup. Youngsters can try their hand at a Crittercam puzzle.
National Geographic Crittercam: The World Through Animal Eyes is organized, produced and traveled by the . Click for a virtual tour of Crittercam.
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