Life Science Lab

The Life Lab, located in OMSI's Life Science Hall is a place of continual change, where exhibits, experiments and the public meet in a more intimate way than in the Halls. The Lab includes a large collection of live animals and a young children's table with lots of fun activities and experiments to allow our younger visitors to explore the life sciences.

Animals in the Life Lab

The Life Science Lab is home to many different animals from around the world. During a visit to the lab, you can see all the animals up close, and might even be able to hold an insect or touch one of the other animals! Educators and volunteers focus on the comparative anatomy and adaptations of each animal. So whether you're wondering how spiders are different from insects, or what are the differences between a reptile and an amphibian, the Life Lab is the place to go.

Spiders | Insects | Mammals | Reptiles | Amphibians

Spiders (phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida, order Araneae)

All spiders have eight legs and two body parts - the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Their legs and eyes are attached to the cephalothorax. Spiders also use venom to kill their prey and produce silk from the spinnerets on their abdomens.

Mexican Red-Kneed Tarantula

The Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi ), is a terrestial tarantula native to the western faces of the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre del Sur mountain ranges in Mexico. They are quite large, very docile and believed to be one of the most long-lived tarantulas.

The mature Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula has a dark-colored body with orange patches on the joints of its legs; the second element of the legs (the trochanter) is orange-red. Following moulting, the colors are more pronounced. The dark portion is very black while the orange-red portions will be far more on the reddish side.

An adult female has a body roughly 4 inches (10 cm) long, with a leg span of 6–7 inches (15–18 cm), 11 inches total and a weight of approximately 15 grams. Both sexes are similar in appearance, with the male having a somewhat smaller body, but longer legs. Thus the male is of comparable size to the female, but weighing significantly less.

Insects (phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta)

About one third of all known animal species alive today are insects. Insects have six legs and three body parts - the head with a pair of antennae, the thorax, and the abdomen. The legs are attached to the thorax (the middle body part).

Walking Sticks

The Phasmatodea (sometimes called Phasmida) are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects (in Europe and Australasia), walking sticks or stick-bugs (in the United States), phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects (generally the family Phylliidae).

Walking Sticks can be relatively large, elongated insects. Some have cylindrical stick-like bodies, while others have a flattened, leaflike, shape. The body is often further modified to resemble vegetation, with ridges resembling leaf veins, bark-like tubercles, and other forms of camouflage.

Walking Sticks are herbivorous, feeding mostly on the leaves of trees and shrubs. The females, which are usually significantly larger than the males, lay their eggs individually, either sticking them to vegetation or simply depositing them on the ground. A single female may lay from 100 to 1,200 eggs after mating, depending on species. The eggs are typically camouflaged, resembling plant seeds, and may remain dormant for a full season or more before hatching. The nymphs are born already closely resembling the adults

Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

The Madagascar hissing lorraine (Gromphadorhina portentosa), also known as the hissing roach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2–3 inches at maturity. They are from the island of Madagascar off the African coast, where they can be found in rotting logs.

Unlike most cockroaches, they are wingless. They are excellent climbers and can scale smooth glass. Males can be distinguished from females by their thicker, hairier antennae and the pronounced "horns" on the pronotum. Females carry the ootheca (egg case) internally, and release the young nymphs only after the eggs have hatched. As in some other wood roaches, the parents and offspring will commonly remain in close physical contact for extended periods of time. In captivity, these insects can live 5 years. They feed primarily on vegetable material.

Crickets

Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as "true crickets"), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (family Tettigoniidae). They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets. They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure including jumping hind legs.

Only the male crickets chirp. A large vein running along the bottom of each wing has "teeth," much like a comb does. The chirping sound is created by running the top of one wing along the teeth at the bottom of the other wing. As he does this, the cricket also holds the wings up and open, so that the wing membranes can act as acoustical sails. It is a popular myth that the cricket chirps by rubbing its legs together.

Mammals (phylum Chordata, sub-phylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia)

Mammals have hair, lungs with a muscle or diaphram to inflate them, 4 chambered hearts, mammary glands for milk production, legs positioned directly underneath the body, and different shaped teeth specialized for different functions. Mammals are endotherms. Endotherms are animals that use their metabolism to generate their body heat.

Domestic Rats

Domestic Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats, and share many characteristics with true rats.

ALL ABOUT RATS!

Reptiles (phylum Chordata, class Reptilia)

Reptiles have scales made of keratin, lungs for breathing, and are ectotherms ('cold blooded'). An ectotherm is any animal that depends on its environment and not its metabolism to control its body temperature. Ectotherms use behavior (i.e. moving from warmer to cooler areas) to regulate their body temperature.

Bearded Dragon

Pogona are a genus of lizards containing seven species, which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. Members of this genus live in the arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and dry open woodlands of Australia. They are adept climbers, spending time on branches and in bushes, even found on fence posts when living near human habitation. Pogona bask on rocks and exposed branches in the mornings and afternoons. The species are found throughout Australia.

The genus is in the subfamily Agaminae of the family Agamidae. Their characteristics include spiny scales arranged in rows and clusters. These are found on the throat, which can be expanded when threatened, and at the back of the head. The species also displays a hand-waving gesture, thought to draw an attack from any predator that may be in the area, however this can also be used as a form of communication between the species. They have the chameleon-like ability to change colour during rivalry challenges between males, and in response to temperature change and other stimuli.

Madagascar Day Gecko

Madagascar Day Gecko (Phelsuma madagasceriensis madagascariensis) is a diurnal subspecies of geckos. It lives on the eastern coast of Madagascar and typically inhabits rainforests and dwells on trees. The Madagascar day gecko feeds on insects and nectar.

This lizard is one of the largest living day geckos. It can reach a total length of about 22 cm (8.7 in). The body color is light green or bluish green. The skin between the scales often has a light color. A rust-coloured stripe extends from the nostril to behind the eye. On the back there are brownish or red-brick coloured dots which may form a thin line along the mid back. These geckos do not have eyelids, and they have flattened toe pads.

White (Albino) Corn Snake

White (Albino) Corn Snake The corn snake (Elaphe guttata), is a North American species of rat snake that subdue their small prey with constriction. The name “corn snake” comes from the fact that they have a maize-like pattern on their bellies and because they were found in corn fields. Corn snakes are found throughout the southeastern and central United States. Their docile nature, reluctance to bite, moderate adult size 1.2–1.8 metres (3.9–5.9 ft), attractive pattern, and comparatively simple care make them popular pet snakes. In the wild, they usually live around 15–20 years, but may live as long as 23 years in captivity.

Amphibians (phylum Chordata, class Lissamphibia)

Amphibians use their skin for breathing (oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange) as well as their lungs and lay their eggs in water. Depending on the species, adult amphibians can live on land and/or in water.

Pacific Tree Frog

The Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla) is a very common species of chorus frog, with a range from the West Coast of the United States (from North California, Oregon, and Washington) to British Columbia in Canada. Living anywhere from sea level up to over 11,000 feet, they are found in shades of greens or browns and even have been known to change between them. They live in many types of habitats and reproduce in aquatic settings. This species is also known as the Pacific Chorus Frog.

The Pacific Tree Frog is able to grow the length of 5 cm long from snout to urostyle. Males are usually smaller than the females and contain a dark patch of skin on their throat. The dark patch is the vocal sac which stretches out when a male is calling. They can be a number of different colors from green, tan, reddish, gray, brown, cream, or black. Most are found to be either a shade of green or brown, and they have the ability to change their color to better match their environment. They usually have a pale or white color on their bellies. These frogs have many variations of markings on their back and sides that are usually dark and spotty. A person is able to identify by the a black or dark brown eye stripe that goes over the eye from the nose to the shoulder. Their skin is covered in small bumps. They have long legs compared to their bodies and they tend to be slender. Their toes are long and only very slightly webbed. On the end of each toe, there is a round sticky toe pad or disks used for climbing and sticking to surfaces.

Axolotl

The Axolotl, (Ambystoma mexicanum), is the best known of the Mexican neotenicmole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species originates from the lake underlying Mexico City and is also called ajolote. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos. They are commonly kept as pets in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Japan and other countries.

A mature adult axolotl, at age 18–24 months, ranges in length from 15–45 centimetres (5.9–18 in), although a size close to 23 centimetres (9.1 in) is most common and greater than 30 centimetres (12 in) is rare. Axolotls possess features typical of salamander larvae, including external gills and a caudal fin extending from behind the head to the vent. Their heads are wide, and their eyes are lidless. Their limbs are underdeveloped and possess long, thin digits. Males are identified by their swollen cloacae lined with papillae, while females are noticeable for their wider bodies full of eggs. Three pairs of external gill stalks (rami) originate behind their heads and are used to move oxygenated water. The external gill rami are lined with filaments to increase surface area for gas exchange. Four gill slits lined with gill rakers are hidden underneath the external gills. Axolotls have barely visible vestigial teeth, which would have developed during metamorphosis. The primary method of feeding is by suction, during which their rakers interlock to close the gill slits. External gills are used for respiration, although buccal pumping (gulping air from the surface) may also be used in order to provide oxygen to their lungs. Axolotls have four different colours, two naturally occurring colours and two mutants. The two naturally occurring colours are wildtype (varying shades of brown usually with spots) and melanoid (black). The two mutant colours are leucistic (pale pink with black eyes) and albino (golden, tan or pale pink with pink eyes).

Life Lab Microscope

Young Biologist's Table

The Life Lab has an area designed for young children to explore biology through hands-on art projects and activities. At the Young Biologist's Table, little ones learn about butterfly and frog life cycles, camouflage in nature, fingerprints, and biological adaptations, with more topics and activities added all the time. For additional details on which activities will be available on the day of your visit, please feel free to call (503.797.4530).

The Life Science Lab is also available for special group activities with advance reservations. For more information, please visit our online field trip planner.