The 自然探索中心 opened in 2000 as the newest home to a natural science collection that dates all the way back to 1879. Exhibits in this building reflect North Carolina’s diverse and beautiful natural habitats and inhabitants, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, from prehistoric beasts to amazing arthropods. The list below includes just a few of the highlights — you’ll have to visit to see them all.
北卡罗来纳州的自然瑰宝
The Natural Treasures exhibit offers a glimpse into a world that is at once rare and common, 奇异而美丽. Some of our natural treasures, like Venus’ Flytraps, are native to nowhere else on Earth. Others are now extinct, but not forgotten, like the Carolina Parakeet. Still others are widely distributed, but fascinating nonetheless.
Take a trip to the beach without leaving Raleigh! Learn about the many habitats found on our coast, 包括堰洲岛, 盐沼, 海上森林, 沙丘, 甚至是开阔的海洋. 非常详细的立体模型, mixed with aquariums filled with live fish and invertebrates, show NC’s coast in a way you’ve never seen it before.
你离蓝鲸有多近? 在海岸北卡罗来纳眺望, you can view one of the most impressive whale skeleton collections on display in the US. 它包括一头巨大的蓝鲸, 稀有的真嘴鲸, 以及我们的招牌抹香鲸“麻烦”. 展出的还有五月花号, the remains of an endangered Right Whale collected in 1874, whose bones have been on public display for more than 100 years.
You’ll forget you’re in the heart of downtown Raleigh as you wander through the 从山到海 dioramas. 头顶上的树塔. 鱼在小溪和池塘里游泳. 一只海龟突然俯冲而下. Which animals are aliveor created by an artist’s hand? That’s for you to figure out as you explore these life-like exhibits. Find habitats like the ones in your own backyard, but enhanced and explained like never before.
Established in 1879, our Museum is the oldest in the state, with a long and storied history. Learn more about our past, along with some insights into our future, in this jam-packed exhibit. See artifacts from NC that were displayed at the St. 1904年的路易斯世界博览会. View a preserved Ocean Sunfish caught in 1937. 这是香川小姐, 一个日本友谊娃娃, 不像全国其他地方, remained on display during the Second World War.
Did you know that NC was home to the first gold rush in the US? That ours is the only state where all four major gemstones—emeralds, 红宝石, 蓝宝石, 钻石也被发现了? 在地下NC展览, 查看美丽的宝石和矿物, including some that are found in few other places in the world. You can also learn more about creatures living underground, 土壤是如何形成的, and what makes NC a great state to study geology.
为我们最年轻的游客设计, the 发现房间 will get you up close and personal with natural science. 通过触摸化石调动你的感官, 感觉鸟的翅膀, 闻着热带的香味, 看蜂巢, 和更多的. Try on costumes, play with puppets, and find hidden animals in our dead tree critter hotel. This is an ideal area for intergenerational learning. 按此浏览时间表.
跟阿克罗打个招呼 Acrocanthosaurus — or, as we like to call him, the 南方的恐怖. 在这个引人注目的展览中, learn how Acro hunted his gigantic sauropod prey, and how his septic bite could bring down even the mightiest foes.
Take a trip in our time machine all the way back to the beginnings of life in North Carolina. See the prehistoric predators that we all know and love, and meet some new friends, like Willo, a Thescelosaurus 有着保存完好的肌腱. Dive into prehistoric seas in our tunnel through the Eocene Era. Meet our Giant Ground Sloth, a specimen that’s more than 1.5 million years old, discovered near Wilmington, NC.
North Carolina may be temperate, but we have many ties to the tropics. Animals like hummingbirds and butterflies migrate through North and South America, 在两个半球都有家的感觉. Meet live Emerald Tree Boas and Poison Dart Frogs, and learn more about how biodiversity binds us all together.
在北卡罗来纳州神秘的山湾里, you’ll see some plants and animals you know well, along with a few you may never have met before. Some prefer the cover of darkness—either hiding under logs or venturing out only at night. Others are too small or too well camouflaged to catch your eye. Be alert for salamanders, spiders, owls, and all things that thrive in our mountain habitats.
Sssssssnakes! They may strike fear into some hearts, but they have a permanent place in ours. NC boasts nearly 40 species of snakes, most of which are non-venomous and pose no threat to humans. In fact, they’re often beneficial, clearing our backyards of rodents and other pest animals. Even if you don’t like snakes in your yard, you can view them here behind the safety of glass.
你会问什么是节肢动物? 这是地球上最常见的动物! You may call them bugs, but we call them fascinating. The arthropod group includes everything from praying mantises to horseshoe crabs, 还有很多介于两者之间的东西. Filled with live animals and larger-than-life models, this exhibit is sure to get you buzzing.
You’ve heard of rainforests, but have you heard of a tropical dry forest? Come see our recreation of this unique habitat and meet some of its most fascinating inhabitants. As tropical butterflies flutter overhead, get a glimpse of turtles, fish and even a two-toed sloth. 这些动物喜欢湿热的天气, so you’ll feel like you’re taking a tropical vacation without ever leaving the city. 更多的信息.
