"Most people don't realize that there were humans in Ohio 12,000 years ago and that they interacted with these creatures," says Mark Meister, the museum's president and CEO. "It's one of the hottest topics in archaeology at the moment: the question of when people first came to the Americas. It used to be that archaeologists thought the earliest humans came 12 to 13,000 years ago. Now they think it's more like 16-18,000 years. No one knows where it's going to end!"
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Meister says this traveling exhibit — created by a Japanese company called Kokoro — is an excellent fit for his museum. “That’s because part of our collection deals with the Ice Age in Ohio and megafauna,” he explains. “These really big animals were in Ohio!”
Those who spend time at the museum are familiar with the skeleton of the giant ground sloth in the lobby. On the wall in the entryway, you'll also see the skeleton of a mastodon from Ohio that dates from the Ice Age.
The exhibition, “The Age of Mammals and Ice,” will be on display at the Boonshoft through May 7. It’s a great family outing, with this special exhibit included in the price of admission.
Correcting misconceptions
Curator of Exhibits Jill Krieg-Accrocco says the exhibition will show visitors what life was like during the Ice Age. “This exhibit focuses on the time after the dinosaurs — 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago,” she says. “It breaks down the stereotype that the Ice Age is a time when the planet is covered in ice. The reality is that it was a time where there was more ice in the polar ice caps but much of the earth was lush and green.”
If you think about these huge animals, she says, you realize they had to eat a lot — and they couldn’t eat ice.
Meeting the animals
Visitors walk through a simulated ice cave to enter the display. A blast of cold air is designed to enhance the experience. Then you’ll begin to encounter the inhabitants of this post-dinosaur animal kingdom. Younger kids will be fascinated by the animals and their life-like movements; older children and adults can learn more by reading the accompanying text.
Each of the mammals is depicted in its natural environment; in some cases you'll view a group of animals interacting with one another. You'll meet Smilodon, a saber-toothed big cat, as he plays in the snow, and see a giant Wooly Mammoth lumbering across the tundra. And there's Baluchitherium, the largest land mammal known to science.
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“Because they’re always moving, they really give you a sense of what these creatures actually looked like,” says Krieg. “There’s definitely a wow factor in the room when you walk into the exhibit and come face-to-face with these giant animals.”
Interactive elements
Her personal favorite is the mammoth. “It’s more relatable to the state of Ohio because we did have mammoths here during the Ice Age.”
Interactive elements in the gallery include a dig pit, the opportunity to experience the weight of a mammoth’s single tooth and feel a piece of mammoth hair and skin.
Fossil skulls and skeletons are also part of the display and there's a reading table with books about ice-age mammals.
On the day I visited, Brittany Simon and her daughter, Blake Watts, were having fun playing with the miniature animals at the exhibit.
“We love it!” said the Huber Heights mom, a museum member who typically visits twice each month. “She really loved looking at the movements of the big animals. She’ll go to school and tell about what she’s seen here.”
Is it scary?
There are animal sounds in the gallery, and some of the animals look pretty fierce — so young children may be intimidated.
Krieg suggests preparing youngsters in advance. "Some children are scared in the sense that they think these animals are real," she notes. "As an adult we can see these things and acknowledge that they aren't real, but to a 3-year-old they really look real."
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When she visited with her own 2-year-old, David, she says he was looking around and holding onto her. “When I told him I wasn’t scared, he wasn’t scared. Make sure to explain to children in advance what to expect. Tell them these animals aren’t real and won’t hurt you.”
What’s the fascination?
Krieg says part of the fascination of this exhibit is the size of the animals. “We’re presented with imagery of ancient creatures from the time we’re babies,” she reminds. “We give our kids stuffed animals that look like dinosaurs and my son has clothes with saber-toothed cats on them. So we develop this fascination with ancient creatures. That fascination never leaves us.”
WANT TO GO?
What: "The Age of the Mammals and Ice"
Where: About the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, 2600 DeWeese Parkway, Dayton
When: Museum hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $14.50 adults, $12.50 seniors (60+), and $11.50 for children (3-17). Children under 3 and members are free.
For more information: (937) 275-7431. BoonshoftMuseum.org
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