Friday, February 26, 2016

CROCS - ANCIENT PREDATORS IN A MODERN WORLD

Crocs
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During a recent family road trip to Washington D.C., we stopped by the National Geographic Museum to check out their newest exhibit CROCS - ANCIENT PREDATORS IN A MODERN WORLD.  A stop by the reptile house on any visit is a must do for my kids so when I heard that National Geographic was featuring an exhibit on crocodiles our family had to go see it while we were in town.  We weren't disappointed as CROCS lets visitors sink their teeth into the history, biology and behaviors of this fascinating species through fossils, models and actual real life animals.

Crocodiles were roaming the Earth munching on dinosaurs for snacks more than 100 million years ago.  While the dinosaurs became extinct, these predatory reptiles were able to to adapt and survive to modern times.  While much smaller in size now, today's alligators and crocodiles still very much resemble their prehistoric predecessors just in more miniaturized forms.  While not as large as their prehistoric ancestors these predators are still very formidable.  An average adult male American alligator is 11 feet long and they can weigh up to 1,000 pounds.  Salt water crocodiles can get even larger being able to grow to more than 17 feet long and weigh up to 3,000 pounds.  These magnificent creatures can be very deadly so if wandering in their natural habitat you shouldn't take dealing with them lightly.

National Geographic Museum
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 While there are plenty of informative placards on display throughout the exhibit, it also a very nice digital component to it.  Videos of Dr. Kent Vliet, the primary scientific advisor for the project, as well as other crocodilian experts, appear as a running thread as visitors walk through the exhibit.  There are also hands-on interactive activities to experience.  Listen to croc calls then hear what a scientist believes what you just heard means.  Create a 3D animation of an extinct crocodilian  or test your strength against a croc on a modified force gauge that demonstrates how researchers measure the strength of real crocodile bites.  If you want to do something a bit less strenuous test your crocodilian IQ with fun facts and croc trivia.

There are several dioramas on display depicting realistic models of various types of crocodilians in their native habitats.

National Geographic
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Crocs
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My son was amazed by the life-sized model of Gomek, one of the world's largest crocodiles to ever be held in captivity.  When he died at Florida's St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in1997, Gomek was nearly 18 feet long and weighed 1,896 pounds. That was one big croc!

Crocs
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The hit of our visit though was seeing the several dioramas on display featuring live crocodilians that ranged from very small to somewhat large in size.  The exhibit actually let you get fairly close to the animals for some terrific views.


CROCS will be at the National Geographic Museum until May 8, 2016 when it will be rotated out for a new exhibition.  Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for Magazine Subscribers, Military, Seniors (62+), College & High School Students and $10 for Children ( 5-12 years old).  The museum is open 7 days per week from 10 am - 6pm.  It is closed two days per year, Thanksgiving & Christmas Day.

Included with our admission to CROCS was a walk through the PHOTO ARK.  Photographer Joel Sartore has compiled a gallery of portraits of endangered species with the goal of encouraging people to care about conservation and habitat preservation.  These are some stunning photos and it is really troubling that some of these creatures will no longer be alive on our planet within the next decade.



Of course we couldn't leave without a souvenir! Check out this unique personalized National Geographic Magazine cover we created on our way out. The kids picked out the cheetah theme because that is my son's favorite animal.  What a nice memory keepsake to remember our visit to the National Geographic Museum.

Crocs
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Crocs
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26 comments:

  1. D.C. is a lot of fun! I've been there once but would like to go back, they have great museums. I saw a white alligator once in New Orleans, at the zoo there, too.

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  2. Hey my hometown! We love hanging out at the Museums in the city :)

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  3. We go to DC every April when the kids have their school vacation. I will have to check this out if it's still there when we go!

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  4. Love the photos of the kids on the cover of the magazine! What a great souvenir. My kids would be all over this exhibit that's for sure. They are huge fans of the Crocodile hunter so this would be a great addition!

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  5. It's safe to say both of my kids would love this. In fact, if distance wasn't the issue, I'd so be into it myself. We went to a crocodile farm in Florida - that was strange and wonderful.

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  6. Well anyone that is a croc fan would love this for sure. I do remember going to a crocodile farm while we were in Florida many years ago.

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  7. This crocs exhibit looks like a super fun and informative time. I know for a fact that my little sister would love to spend the day there.

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  8. What a fun exhibit! Love the National Geographic cover with your kids - so cute!

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  9. What a fun place. My son would love to hang out here for the day.

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  10. I love your souvenir magazine! It looks like the kids had a blast

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  11. This is SO fun!!! They will remember these trips forever! My parents took us swimming with manatees in Florida on one spring break and I still remember the trip! The sarcastic side in me thought Crocs the shoes are pretty terrifying also, haha!

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  12. Very cool! I am a biology teacher and totally love stuff like this

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  13. What a great place! My son would love to hang out there all day!

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  14. I've always been fascinated by these giant lizards and if I'm ever in DC I know we'll be paying the National Geographic Museum a visit.

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  15. Did the kids love it? I sure would and the next time I am in DC, I plan to check this out. We love visiting there.

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  16. What an amazing place to be! I know my teen would love to go too. This is right up her alley.

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  17. We have an amazing crocs park tour years ago. It was really a great experience for the whole family.

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  18. That looks really cool. It reminds me of my love for Steve Irwin.

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  19. We are thinking of heading to DC soon! My kids would love this exhibit!

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  20. I would have loved this as a kid and probably would still love it today. What a cool exhibit. - Katy

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  21. What a cool place. Is the exhibit temporary or will it always be there?

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    1. It is a temporary exhibit - the museum has three galleries that it rotates in new exhibits throughout the year. Crocs just replaced an Indiana Jones themed one

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  22. Isn't the National Geographic Museum awesome? I just love it. It looks like your kiddos had fun. I live about 90 minutes away from DC so I may have to make a visit before this exhibit ends.

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  23. This looks like a fun exhibit! I would definitely visit with the family if it were in Chicago.

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  24. That is pretty darn cool, but oh my gosh, those are scary. They are mean and that replica is HUGE.

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  25. This looks like it would be a fun exhibit to go visit in person. That huge replica you shared in the photo looks scary even though I know it is not real.

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