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
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 …How-to Draw a Squirrel
If Pittsburgh had an animal mascot, I think it would be a squirrel. So, let’s draw a squirrel together. Early naturalists, explorers, …Groundhog Day 2020!
One of my favorite taxidermies in the Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, is our groundhog with a malocclusion. Say …Bright Flying Mammal
Can you name our region’s most colorful mammal? If the question was asked in front of the museum’s Mammals of Pennsylvania display, …
