My daughters and I were invited to a media preview to check out AMNH’s (The American Museum of Natural History in New York City) newest exhibit, Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species. And amazing they are!
Let me ask you a few questions. What if you could hold your breath for up to two hours? Or even gulp down a snack 10 times your own weight? Or how about living in crushing depths where there is no sunlight to support any kid of life?
Do you think you would survive?
Yeah you’re right. You wouldn’t. None of us would. But there are living creatures (microorganisms) that do survive. Amazing I know!
These may sound like superpowers to humans, but somewhere on this planet, an organism is using one of these extraordinary talents to go about its daily tasks.
Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species, a new exhibition opening April 4 at the American Museum of Natural History in the LeFrak Family Gallery, offers a fascinating glimpse of the breathtaking diversity of the natural world and the power of natural selection to shape exceptional responses to the challenges, and opportunities, of life on Earth.
No matter how extraordinary certain plants and animals seem to us, their unusual features often address the most ordinary of tasks: To reproduce, breathe and move around. To sense the world. To find food and safety.
The new exhibit is simply amazingly incredible. I can’t wait to visit again with my husband and son. They would absolutely love it.
You will learn so much about these never-before-seen creatures but at the museum you catch a true vision on how and where they live.
There are tons to do in this one exhibit. Your senses will go wild. One of the displays really intrigued me. It was a beautiful flower called Rafflesia Arnoldii.
It is found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, which belong to a group of parasitic plants called corpse flowers. This plant has no stem, leaves, or roots and is barely visible when not in bloom. When it opens, it has the largest flower on the planet and emits a powerful odor of rotting meat to attract its pollinator of choice, carrion flies.
What’s cool is that there are a few interactive models which allows you to sniff the actual smell of the plant. It was disgustingly fun to smell it.
There’s a kids area that looked like a ton of fun. Kids were going crazy over seeing themselves on the big screen. My ten year old loved it. You won’t want to miss this exhibit!
For more information about the museum, please be sure to visit them at:
https://twitter.com/amnh
https://www.facebook.com/naturalhistory
https://www.youtube.com/user/AMNHorg
https://www.pinterest.com/naturalhistory/
https://instagram.com/amnh/
Life at the Limits will be at the AMNH for a limited time!
Dates: April 4, 2015 – January 3, 2016
Times: Timed entry only.
Location: LeFrak Family Gallery, fourth floor
Love learning about nature and all the different species!