Museum of Natural History & Science - Scavenger Hunt
TEACHER COPY
**TEACHERS!** All the questions in this scavenger hunt may not meet the needs of your subject or grade
level. You may not have enough time in your visit to answer all of these questions. Please use this document
as a starting point and modify to best fit your students and visit!
ENTRANCE
1) Compare the many ridges on the teeth of the Mammoth jaw at the entrance, with the cones on those of the
Mastodon. Mammoth teeth were specialized for the grinding of abrasive grasses. Mammoths were grazers, not
______________________, like the Mastodon. (BROWSERS)
2) How many bones in the Mastodon Skeleton are real bones? _________________(0)
3) How much can a Polar Bear weigh? ___________________(1300 POUNDS)
TRADING POST
4) You can tell an alligator from a crocodile by looking at its teeth. In an alligator, when the mouth is shut, the
upper teeth lie _________________________ the lower jaw. Check out the hide in Nature’s Trading Post. Circle
One: outside-inside (OUTSIDE)
5)
Totem Poles, made from the wood of trees, tell stories connected with the owner’s family. Our Totem Pole was
made in celebration of the 49th state entering the United States. Which state was that?
_______________________ (ALASKA)
NANO (exhibit between STEM Lab and Pathways to Change)
6) A nanometer is a ____________________ of a meter. (BILLIONTH)
7) What are 4 examples of where you can find nano? (They list 8)
a.
b.
c.
d.
(SMELLS, PHONES, COMPUTERS & OTHER TECHNOLOGY, BUTTERFLIES, FOOD, CLOTHING, APPLIANCES, TOYS)
PATHWAYS TO CHANGE
8) The entrance of Pathways to Change remind us that when winter comes, some animals put on their winter
_______________ (adding extra warmth) and other animals hibernate and settle down for a long nap. Many
birds (and people) migrate heading south to enjoy the warmer weather. (COAT)
9)
Pathways to Change tells us that insulation helps keep our homes warm during the cold winters by separating
indoor from outdoor air temperatures. Insulation can be made from several types of material.
Name one type: _____________________ (WOOD, PAPER, WOOL, PLASTICS AND FIBERGLASS)
10) Pathways To Change reminds us to, Reduce, Reuse, and __________________; used things become the
material from which new things are made. (RECYCLE)
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EARTH STORIES AND EARTH WORKS
11) The ______________________ Owl found in the Earth Stories exhibit is a rare winter visitor to the Greater
Cincinnati area from the far north. It is active during the day and when present, is often found near airports.
(SNOWY OR NYCTEA SCANDIACA)
12) The spear points, in the case right before the Space exhibit, is from what time period?_____________________
(EARLY ARCHAIC OR 10,000-8,000 YEARS AGO)
SPACE
13) The Asteroid Belt located in our solar system is between ____________________ and ___________________.
(BETWEEN MARS AND JUPITER)
14) What’s the difference between a meteoroid and meteorite? _________________________________________
(A METEOROID IS A PIECE OF ROCK OR METAL FLYING THROUGH SPACE. A METEORITE IS A METEOROID THAT
STURVIVES IT’S DECENT THROUGH EARTHS STMOSPHERE AND HITS THE GROUND.)
15) Each “Ambassador of Exploration” was presented a lunar sample (moon rock) to be displayed at a museum or
educational institution of their choice. CMC is honored to be the site chosen by
___________________________________ for the display of his lunar sample. (NEIL ARMSTRONG)
ROCKS AND MINERALS
16) What are some properties of copper? ________________________________________________ (HIGH
ELECTRICAL & THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, GOOD RESISTANCE TO CORROSION, GOOD FLEXIBILITY &
WORKABILITY, HIGH STRENGTH & DECORATIVE COLOR)
17) Dubbed by visitors as the “peace” or “bunny ear” crystal, our ___________________ is the purple variety of
quartz created by slowly deposited solutions flowing through ancient volcanic rock and can be seen near the
Cave. (AMETHYST)
CAVES (Don’t forget to look for answers in the hallway when you exit the cave)
18) The mummified remains of humans and animals are often preserved in caves due to the extreme cold and dry or
damp environmental conditions. The Cave hallway explains that ______________ are a type of cave animal that
fall in, wash in, or wander in by accident into caves. Some find their way out, others die---increasing the chance
of mummification. (ACCIDENTALS)
19) Bats are the only ___________________ that can fly. (MAMMAL)
20) Bats are “cave guests” or __________________. This means they spend part of their life in caves, but must leave
to find food to eat. (TROGLOXENES)
21) All bats live in caves. Circle one: True – False (FALSE)
22) What is the name of the caver that was trapped in Sand Cave? __________________ (FLOYD COLLINS)
THE SCIENCE OF MUMMIES
23) Given the name ______, the African boy name meaning “life,” our very own mummy came to CMC in September
2009 as a gift from the Cincinnati Art Museum. (UMI)
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24) Umi, the mummy displayed in the Science of Mummies exhibit, is a very special mummy due to what additive
technology that was used to create a physical, 3-deminsional replica of Umi’s body?
_______________________________ (RAPID PROTOTYPING)
25) One of the amulets buried with Umi, our mummy in the Science of Mummies exhibit, is shaped in the form of a
_____________________ beetle an important part of ancient Egyptian culture. (SCARAB)
ICE AGE (UPPER)
26) What are the four chapters of the extinction process? (Hint: Sherlock Holmes might give you a hint)
a.
b.
c.
d.
(UNCOVERING THE EVIDENCE, STORIES TOLD BY BONES, TRACKING THE SUSPECTS, THE BODIES VANISH)
27) According to the Upper Ice Age exhibit, the Giant Beaver’s teeth were more suited for clipping small
_________________________rather than chiseling trees to build giant dams. (CATTAILS OR GRASS)
28) The “Stories told by Bones” section of the Upper Ice Age exhibit tells us what a tooth is made of: Enamel,
dentine and ___________; a substance found on the teeth of grazing animals. (CEMENTUM)
29) In the “Stories Told by Bones” section of Upper Ice age, we learn that the size and shape of an animal’s limb
bones tell how they were used. Notice the massive leg bone and block-like wrist bone of the
_____________________. The limb’s main function was not running, but bearing weight. (ELEPHANT)
30) There are many causes of extinction, and humans are one of them. The “Bodies Vanish” section explains how
commercial hunting and habitat destruction brought passenger pigeons to the brink of extinction with the last
one dying in Cincinnati in ________. (1914)
GLACIAL GEOLOGY HALL (this exhibit starts at the first “ice cave” and ends at the second “ice cave”)
31) What percentage of the world’s ice does Antarctica have? _________________ (80%)
32) What is the scientific name for rocks that hitched a ride from Canada on a glacier? ____________ (TILL)
33) What year does the top layer of the Ice Core Correspond to? _______________ (853 AD)
34) For thousands of years, trees have provided oxygen to help us breathe. Our Redwood tree ring, displayed in the
Glacial Geology Hall, provided oxygen for many years before it was cut down in what year? ___________ (1932)
35) How old was the Redwood when it was cut down? (Exact answer! Use your answer from the previous questions
to help!) ________________________ (1932-528 = 1404)
36) Trees are some of nature’s most accurate record keepers. After coring a sample, scientists can measure climatic
change by looking at the rings of the tree. Exploring the Glacial Geology Hall, name one other piece of evidence
that scientists have found by looking at core samples. _________________________ (LIGHTNING STRIKES,
INSECT ATTACKS, FLOODS, DROUGHTS, EARTHQUAKES, ETC)
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37) Human activity increasingly releases gases into the atmosphere that continually build up there. According to the
Glacial Geology Hall, with a tremendous increase in a gas called carbon___________, scientists believe it is
canceling out the effects of the Earth’s tilt and wobble causing the Earth to warm up. (DIOXIDE)
38) Where is the ice cave that ours is modeled after? ___________________________________________
(BREIDAMERKURJOKULL ICELAND)
LOWER ICE AGE TRAIL
39) Our very own Ice Age Trail is a great place to hike and see all kinds of animals. Like the ______ wolf! Did you
know that they aren’t direct ancestors of modern wolves, and they were well adapted to the cold Ice Age?
(DIRE)
40) What kind of bear, located in the painting, is behind the giant beaver? __________________________ (SHORTFACED BEAR)
CINCINNATI UNDER THE SEA
41) Today we would describe Cincinnati as being a Temperate Deciduous Forest biome. About 450 million years ago
what type of biome would best describe Cincinnati?____________ (OCEAN)
42) What is the official state invertebrate fossil of Ohio? _________________________________________
(ISOTELUS MAXIMUS OR TRILOBITE)
EXTINCTIONS THROUGH TIME
43) There have been 5 great mass extinctions caused by natural climate shifts, oceanic changes, volcanism and
extraterrestrial impacts. Scientists believe the sixth mass extinction will be caused by ___________________.
(BIOLOGICAL MECHANISM OR HUMANS IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT OR US)
44) Looking at the “On the Brink” display case, name 5 organisms listed as being threatened and/or endangered.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
(EASTERN MASSASSAUGA RATTLESNAKE, NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG, INDIANA BAT, BLACKFOOTED FERRET,
GREEN SEA TURTLE, YELLOW BLOSSOM MUSSEL, NORTHERN RIFFLESHELL MUSSEL)
CREATURES OF ANCIENT SEAS / ANCIENT MARINE LIFE
45) Which extinct bony fish found in the Creatures of Ancient Seas exhibit, is tarpon-like in appearance and have
been found with other large fish contained in its stomach? _______________________________
(XIPHACTINUS)
46) The jaws of what large fish, displayed in the Creatures of Ancient Seas Exhibit did not hold true teeth, but were
bony plates that formed sharp cutting edges? ___________________ (OHIO ARMORED FISH)
47) What giant marine lizard found in the Creatures of Ancient Seas exhibit, was a contemporary of the Cretaceous
dinosaurs? (Hint: They were remarkable for having an extra joint in the middle of their jaws.)
______________________________ (MOSASAUR)
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DINO HALL
48) This extremely rare fossil is one of the earliest known birds, _________________________ sanctus. The finegrained rock on display preserves not only the bones of the skeleton, but the primary flight feathers, body
plumage, and horny sheaths of the talons. (CONFUCIUSORNIS)
49) Bats are the only mammal that can fly. Three vertebrate groups that have independently evolved the ability to
fly are birds, bats, and this flying reptile: _______________________________________ (Hint: Find Dino Hall
and look up!) (PTEROSAURUS OR PTERANDODON INGENS/STERNBERGI)
50) In order to be light enough to fly, the bones of what giant flying reptile, seen in the Dinosaur Hall, were hollow
and paper thin to fly easier and reduce its density? _______________________ (PTERANDON)
51) The Dinosaur Hall reminds us that scientists believe that the grooves of the _______________ dinosaur had back
plates that contained blood vessels. When blood circulated through them, they were heated by the sun and
channeled to the rest of the body to help maintain this dinosaur’s body temperature. (STEGOSAURUS)
52) Formerly the “Brontosaurus,” our ________________________ skull is one of only 3 in existence and the only
one to have been found associated with the cervical or neck vertebrae. (APATOSAURUS)
53) No living reptile chews its food. However this type of herbivorous hadrosaurs dinosaur, mentioned in the
Dinosaur Hall, had a mouth containing thousands of grinding teeth.__________________________ (DUCKBILLED)
54) What are the names of the skulls on the wall?
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
(GRYPOSAURUS NOTABILIS, EDMONSTOSAURUS, PARASAUROLOPHUS WALKERI, PROSAUROLOPHUS
MAXIMUS, LAMBEREOSAURUS LAMBEI)
55) Over time, trees become “petrified” and all the organic material turns into fossil. Our “fossil log” located in the
Dinosaur Hall is from an extinct tree related to a Norfolk Island pine. Its’ organic material has been replaced
with _______________. (SILICA)
WORLDS WITHIN OUR YARDS / YARDS
56) The “What You Want…and What to Look Out For” sign help define what a “pest” is. Pests aren’t inherently badthey are just behaving the way they have evolved over time to survive. One example of an insect pest is the
_________________________________- an Asian immigrant killing ash trees and are a major concern to the
health of forests. (EMERALD ASH-BORER)
57) Ecology deals with the interactions among living things and their environments. What is one of the example
interactions the “What Goes on in Your Yard” sign describes? (There are 3 given)
__________________________________ (A TREE NEEDS A POLLINATOR TO BEAR FRUIT, A BUTTERFLY NEEDS
THE NUTRIENTS FROM HOST PLANT TO FLY, A BIRD NEEDS INSECT LARVAE TO FEED HER YOUNG)
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Orientation Map of the
Museum of Natural History & Science
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