Live Animal Exhibit Trail

An amazing number of animals make their living in the soil. One handful of healthy topsoil may contain more living organisms than there are humans on Earth! You will meet ants and earthworms up close and peer at tiny soil animals through a microscope. You can also travel down a human-size chipmunk burrow. This exhibit addresses concepts such as how soil is formed, which organisms can help create and aerate soil, and what adaptations animals may have in order to survive underground.

The Amphitheater comfortably located in the shade of the trees on the animal trail. Our daily Up Close to Animals presentations (July and August) are held here, weather depending. Naturalist led presentations feature a variety of animals including birds, mammals, and reptiles.

Explore the world of water through water-related exhibits and live animals. Listen to frog calls; take a virtual tour of the Squam Watershed; create an interactive landscape in kinetic sand to learn how water moves; learn about ice; visit the live turtles, and frogs; spy fish in the warm and cold water aquariums; plus much more!

Coyotes are cousins to dogs, wolves, and foxes, first seen in New Hampshire in 1944. They have spread across the state from the northernmost reaches down to the seacoast. Coyotes are currently common throughout the state. Try to match the coyote posture to the behavior and listen to a coyote call. Plus, learn how coyotes and wolves are similar and different. Learn about coyotes.

Our coyote arrived in May 2013 at approximately 10 days old. She was found on the side of the road after the mother coyote was hit and killed by a car.

The Ecotone Mammal Exhibit reveals the interrelationships of creatures living in an "ecotone", or the edge between two natural communities. There is often greater diversity in wildlife at these edges. Using interactive displays, this exhibit describes these areas, provides examples of animals that depend on them, and also addresses some of their adaptations. This exhibit is the home to three different types of animals that are generally found living in an ecotone: red fox and gray fox.

The bobcat gets its name from its short, or "bobbed" tail. An adult weighs 15 to 25 pounds and can live up to 14 years. Predators like bobcats help maintain healthy populations of prey animals by weeding out sick and injured animals. This in turn reduces the chance the prey animals will overeat and damage their habitat or starve. See live bobcats up close as you learn if bobcats have any predators and what they eat.

Our female bobcat arrived in 2011 at two years old after being confiscated while being kept as a pet. The male bobcat arrived in 2008 at two years old having been orphaned and illegally kept as a pet.

The mountain lion has one of the widest distributions of any mammal in the western hemisphere. They are able to survive a wide range of conditions and have the skills to hunt many different types of prey. This exhibit emphasizes the adaptations these animals have to hunt - how high and far they can jump or how much they can lift - and also addresses the ecological concept of extirpation. Large carnivores are rarely seen in New England since they need a lot of uninhabited space. An example of the interrelationships between animals and humans would be when early settlers, afraid for their safety and that of their livestock, over-hunted and eliminated mountain lions in New England.

The two male mountain lions arrived at the Science Center in January 2023 from the state of Washington after being orphaned and surrendered to Washington Fish and Wildlife. Because mountain lion cubs stay with and rely on their mother for up to eighteen months, they could not be released back to the wild and Washington officials found suitable placements around the country for these and other orphaned cubs.

White-tailed deer are found throughout New Hampshire. This exhibit addresses many of the adaptations that enable deer to outwit their predators and survive, and also emphasizes some of the natural conditions that limit the population of deer in New Hampshire. Most natural predators (wolves and mountain lions) were extirpated in New Hampshire by the turn of the nineteenth. The only remaining predators of white-tailed deer in New Hampshire are humans and also occasionally domestic dogs, coyotes, and bobcats. Observe the live white-tailed deer in this exhibit and learn about their habitat through hands-on activities.

The female white-tailed deer was one year old when she arrived in 2018 after being found as a potential pet.

The Red Barn contains two bathrooms available for guest use.

Colorful plants in full bloom bring this informal garden to life, naturally attracting bees, butterflies, and birds of many species. Kirkwood Gardens is free and open to the public but parking is limited.

River otters have adaptations that allow them to live in marshes, swamps, rivers, ponds, and lakes. Otters are commonly found in New Hampshire. Their habitat requirements include unpolluted aquatic environments with unmanaged tree-lined shores. This exhibit emphasizes these requirements and also provides examples of aquatic adaptations and threats to otter populations. Watch live river otters swim with underwater viewing at this exhibit.

The male river otter was 18 months old when he arrived in 2012. He was abandoned after the Gulf oil spill in 2010 at two weeks old. He was taken to Southeast Wildlife Rescue in Louisiana and was habituated to humans due to the the necessary care. The female river otter arrived in 2022 from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado.

Go on an adventure as you play the role of a red squirrel. Climb rocks and logs, scramble through tunnels, and balance on branches to escape predators.

To better enjoy your visit, please follow the Playscape Guidelines:

• Adults must supervise children while they are on the Playscape.
• Children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• Children must have appropriate footwear. No flip-flops.
• To provide a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone, please:
  • Walk, do not run
  • Take turns
  • Leave room to play safely
  • Be kind
  • Have fun
  • Explore
  • Discover and learn

Black bears live in heavily wooded areas in New Hampshire. Although classified as carnivores, the majority of their diet consists of plant materials. Black bears have many interrelationships in the forest. This exhibit provides examples of some of these interrelationships and also provides details about their diet, behavior, and populations. You can learn about bears by completing puzzles, learning about bees with our viewable hive, and observing a live black bear in their habitat.

Our female black bear was two years old when she arrived at the Science Center in 2001. She was captive born in Illinois. The male black bear arrived at the Science Center in the fall of 2022 at approximately 9 months old. He was a rehabilitated bear from North Carolina who could not be released due to his habituation to people.

The Celebrate Birds Exhibit takes you on a journey to learn about types of birds. First learn about songbirds and water birds then enter the world of raptors. This exhibit features live New Hampshire species including Barred Owl, American Bittern, and Black-crowned Night-Heron.

The female Black-crowned Night Heron was an adult when she arrived in 2017. The exhibit she was in at the Virginia Aquarium was closed. The other Night Heron arrived at eight years old in 2019 as a transfer from another zoo.

Raptors are a group of birds that use adaptations such as grasping talons and a hooked beak to capture, kill, and tear their prey. The Raptor Exhibit features three buildings that house live New Hampshire species of raptors including Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, and American Kestrel.

• The Broad-winged Hawk arrived in 2008 from Florida as a rehabilitated non-releasable bird. It had a fractured wing from a window collision which required partial amputation.
• One Red-tailed Hawk arrived as an adult in 2020 and is partially blind in the right eye. The second Red-tailed Hawk was a rehabilitated raptor with a partial wing amputation preventing it from flying.
The Great Horned Owl was a rehabilitated animal from another zoo and is unable to fly.
• Both Red-shouldered Hawks are females. The first arrived as an adult in 2011. It was found with no tail feathers and could not fly. The second Red-shouldered Hawk arrived as an adult in 2020. It was an ambassador animal for programs but required a static display. It had a broken clavicle after a window collision and cannot fly.
• The American Kestrel is a female rehabilitated animal from Oregon with only partial sight.
• Our Bald Eagle was immature when it arrived in 2013. This eagle had mercury poisoning but slowly recovered and was released. It was found needing rehab again three months later.
• The Rough-legged Hawk is a rehabilitated animal with a left wing injury and deviated keel making it unable to fly. It was injured from a collision with a car.

This exhibit highlights the geologic history of our planet and provides examples of the different types of rocks found in New Hampshire. Explore different rock types and take a walk through time to learn about the formation of our Earth.

Solar powered Lake Cruise Headquarters provides a comfortable departure point for Squam Lake Cruises. The timber frame pavilion with benches provides an outdoor classroom for school programs and a place to gather before public cruises. Learn about solar electricity and lake turnover at interactive exhibits.