Extreme Mammals Exhibit at AMNH

Posted by Candace on May 16, 2009 | 7 Comments

amnh_extreme_banner_sqWe checked out a preview of the Extreme Mammals Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History and were astounded by the diversity of mammals on our earth.

I had the opportunity to chat with paleontologist William Harcourt-Smith about what makes an animal a mammal (we have surprisingly little in common), what makes a mammal an extreme mammal, how parents can help kids get excited about learning at home, why animals diversify, and his favorite parts of the exhibit.  You can watch question by question or see the whole interview.

Below, check out Harcourt-Smith’s ideas about using the Extreme Mammals website to continue learning about animals with your kids.

amnh_extreme_indricotherium_smWe had an amazing time–crawling through the legs Indricotherium, the largest land mammal (shown here with one of our smaller mammals, my daughter); found out about the longest gestational period (660 days for the African Elephant–Eep!); touched porcupine quills; discovered sleeping sugar gliders; and made kangaroos hop and gazelles leap.

Check out the full interview with Harcourt-Smith, see the rest of my videos and my photos from the exhibit, and go check out Extreme Mammals for yourself!

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  • Antonia said:

    excellent post! i love the videos and photos.

    #1 May 16, 2009 at 9:44 pm
  • Pamela Kramer said:

    His accent is so cool! I have to say that your little (big) guy is really cute playing with your hair. rofl….

    This is a really fun post. Your daughter looks so tiny walking underneath those legs.

    #2 May 17, 2009 at 3:14 pm
  • Candace (author) said:

    Thank you, Pamela! Yes, what our cub reporter lacks in professionalism, he makes up for in cuteness. And since he accepts milk as payment in kind, we’re not complaining!

    The exhibit was wild and very hands on. I hear it will be traveling next year so maybe it will be near you…

    #3 May 17, 2009 at 3:50 pm
  • Christine - @YoungMommy said:

    Looks like you had tons of fun! My kiddos and I will have to check out the Extreme Mammals website.

    #4 May 17, 2009 at 4:17 pm
  • Alli Worthington ( @alliworthington ) said:

    Very cool. My boys would love that!

    xo

    #5 May 18, 2009 at 12:54 am
  • Katja said:

    Thanks for the info – my kids love the Museum of the Natural History, but I didn’t know about the website, will share it with my kids for sure.

    #6 May 18, 2009 at 12:51 pm
  • Colleen said:

    I love random facts like this. 660 days gestation period for an African Elephant! Unbelievable!

    #7 Nov 10, 2009 at 12:49 pm