New Special Exhibition at Fernbank Museum 
Sheds Light on What Lives “In the Dark”

ATLANTA (December 20, 2007) — Fernbank Museum of Natural History will reveal what thrives beneath the soil, under the sea, in the shadows of night and within other dark environments in the special exhibition In the Dark, on view February 9- May 4, 2008.

   In the Dark features five immersive zones, enabling visitors to see and experience some of these dark and largely unseen worlds, including the ways people have reacted to darkness throughout history. Each diorama uses mechanical displays, chemical experiments, life-size animal models and informational panels to surround visitors with the sights, sounds, smells and sensations of several dark ecosystems. 

   “This exhibition gives visitors a glimpse into worlds that they will never see with their own eyes,” said Cindy Sheehy, Director of Children’s and Family Programs at Fernbank Museum of Natural History. “The ecosystems and animals that exist in the absence of light are truly incredible, and their adaptations are the basis of modern technology that allows humans to function in darkness.” 

The Darkness of Night

   Visitors encounter animals that dwell in three diverse environments as darkness falls in The Darkness of Night component of the exhibition: a forest in the Great Smoky Mountains, the Sonoran Desert and a Louisiana cypress swamp. Visitors walk through the mountainous forest and witness how bobcats, barred owls, spotted skunks, flying squirrels and salamanders forage for meals. They also see how bats feed on night-blooming cacti in the Sonoran Desert and learn about baby alligators in the Louisiana cypress swamp. Those visitors who enjoyed Frogs: A Chorus of Colors at Fernbank in 2007 will be primed for the “Who’s Calling” interactive, where they are tasked with matching a frog call to the frog species.

Darkness within the Soil

   Next the exhibition reveals what lurks below the soil as visitors learn about the animals that thrive just beneath the Earth’s surface. Here, the relationships among the world’s complex underground ecosystems as well as the plants, animals and humans living above ground are emphasized. Visitors will get a look at what dwells below the soil in a typical backyard with a life-size diorama featuring a cross-section of earth that reveals moles, cicadas, bumblebees, worms, millipedes, slugs and other animals that call the soil “home.” 

Darkness Deep within Caves

   As visitors examine open and closed cave systems, they learn the natural processes that form each type of cave and the unique and sometimes varied organisms found inside. The dioramas include a walk-through recreation of a Kentucky limestone solution cave and a closed ecosystem found in Romania’s Movile cave. Interactive elements explore animal adaptations and cavern environments, such as the cave cricket’s use of fine hair-like structures, called mechanoreceptors, to collect information about its dark environment. “Look What I Hear” is a computer “cave maze” where visitors can rely on sounds to find their way out of a simulated cave, like a bat. 

   Visitors who want to further explore cave ecosystems can purchase a ticket to Fernbank’s IMAX® Theatre, where Journey Into Amazing Caves will be showing from February 16 through May 4, 2008. The film explores caves found inside the walls of the Grand Canyon, the glaciers of Greenland and beneath the rainforests of Mexico’s Mayan jungle. Audiences journey alongside scientists to study how caves are formed and research the microorganisms that live within an unmapped area of one of the deepest-known caves. 

Darkness of the Deep Sea

   From deep sea vent fields to the open deep sea, visitors also explore the darkness that lurks in the oceans as the exhibition compares these two diverse ecosystems and the organisms that live in each. Within this area, visitors encounter a life-size diorama of deep sea vents similar to those at the Galapagos Rift Vent Field, located 1.5 miles beneath the ocean’s surface, as well as a smaller diorama featuring a column of water in the Pacific Ocean that captures the magic of bioluminescent inhabitants. Among the animals that thrive in these vents are unique inhabitants such as tube worms, foot-long clams and ghost-white crabs perfectly suited to the dark depths of the ocean. 

   Interactive elements introduce topics related to these two dioramas, such as how hydrogen sulfide is the basis for the food web around a deep sea vent and the depth at which the ocean becomes completely dark to human eyes. “Keep on the Level” simulates the body design of a jellyfish and challenges visitors to adjust to life as a jellyfish. 

Darkness and Humans

   The Darkness and Humans area of In the Dark tells past and present human interactions with dark environments and the resulting effect of these ecosystems. Humans have found ways to adapt to the total lack of light, including incredible adaptations for the blind, and also how to bring light into the dark world. Stories and folklore reveal cultural interpretations of night and darkness, while modern technology such as sonar, radar and image enhancers reveal how humans mimic the adaptations of animals like dolphins, bats and owls. 

Education Alley 

   Fernbank adds its ever-popular Education Alley to In the Dark, offering younger visitors the opportunity to further research the topics introduced in the exhibit. The exhibition is informative and family friendly but Education Alley provides opportunities for deeper questioning and hands-on exploration through games, puzzles, books and activities. On weekends, facilitators will lead more in-depth activities that include microscopic investigations and animal encounters. 

   “In the Dark is extremely interactive, and families will find lots of fun and educational activities,” Sheehy said. “I imagine visitors will really enjoy the interactives, like the pit viper game, bat echolocation, balance like a jellyfish, and my personal favorite, flashers of the night – which is the firefly matching test.”

   In the Dark is a traveling exhibit produced by the Cincinnati Museum Center. Media support is sponsored locally in part by Georgia Department of Economic Development.

   Entry to In the Dark is included with Museum admission. Tickets are $15 for adults, $14 for students/seniors, and $13 for children ages 3-12. Museum members and children two years old and under receive free admission. Visitors can combine In the Dark with a visit to the IMAX® Theatre for Journey into Amazing Caves at a discount. Value Pass tickets, which include Museum and IMAX® admission, are $23 for adults, $21 for students/seniors, $19 for children and $8 for Museum members.

   Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE, just east of midtown Atlanta. Free parking is available and Fernbank is accessible by Marta. For directions and other information, visit fernbankmuseum.org or call 404.929.6300. To reserve tickets by phone, call 404.929.6400.