Step inside a savanna or view a lowland gorilla emerging from lush tropical foliage in the Hall of African Wildlife. Our detailed and realistic dioramas transport you to a water hole where a giraffe, two species of zebra, African buffalo, wildebeest, and warthog have gathered. In the shadow of a Baobab tree, gerenuks stand on their hind legs nibbling leaves while termites build their impressive mounds.
The hall’s 12 dioramas invite visitors to enter Africa’s wild biomes and see exotic animals, from carnivorous mammals to fascinating insects, up close. Scenes like a lowland gorilla emerging from lush tropical foliage and a pair of zebra duikers foraging in the undergrowth capture visitors’ imaginations.
Our dioramas represent the African continent’s four major life zones—savanna, rainforest, mountain, and desert—and the unique animals that call this amazing continent home.
Meet our Mammalogists
Learn about the Mammal Collection at the Museum
The Section of Mammals houses a research collection consisting of more than 118,553 specimens. The main collection is housed at the Edward O’Neil Research Center, about two miles from the main Carnegie Museum of Natural History building.
Taxonomic coverage includes 24 of the 26 living orders of mammals and 114 of the 136 Recent families. The collection includes 40 holotypes.
Blogs about Mammals
A Deeper Look at Dioramas
by Suzanne McLaren On the second floor at Carnegie Museum of Natural History a visitor can see dioramas showing wildlife found in …
Bobcats
With winter approaching, visitors to Powdermill Nature Reserve can anticipate seeing the tracks in the snow of one of our most splendid …
A Gorilla for Our Imagination
The lowland gorilla within the Hall of African Wildlife has a far different back-story than other large mammals in the exhibition’s dozen …
Early Bats: Ancient Origins of a Halloween Icon
Did you know that bats have been around for at least 55 million years? In 1992, several fossils in the Carnegie Museum …
