Educator Overview
On Exhibit February 14 – May 8
Recommended for Grades 3 – 12.
Presented in English and Spanish.
Animals: Machines in Motion is free with Exhibit Halls admission.
Exhibition Overview Every living thing is a
machine built to survive through evolution.
See where physics and biology meet!
Built To Survive
Explore how different structures help life survive, that
pressure is an integral part of life, and how animals maintain
their temperature in these three galleries.
Built To Move
Discover how wing and fin shape affects an animal’s
movement through air and water and how animals store
energy. Three galleries focus on how animals generate force
in order to move their mouths to eat and their limbs to travel.
Built To Discover
Find out how eyes co-evolved and the array of senses
that animals have that are beyond humans’ limited five.
This section only contains one gallery, but it packs a punch!
Featuring
T. rex Sue
Investigate a replica of T. rex Sue, the world-famous
Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Measuring 42 feet from
snout to tail and 12 feet tall with a giant skull containing
58 dagger-like teeth, Sue was a member of a species
with the strongest bite of any animal known to have
walked on land. Approximately 68 million years old,
Sue is the largest, most complete T. rex ever found!
Themes Explored
Structure and Function
• How do different structures help life function?
• What forces of nature is life exposed to and how do
different structures function to resist these forces?
• How do different structures help absorb or store energy?
Forces
• What are the different ways animals generate force?
• For what purposes does an animal generate force?
• What are the tradeoffs between force, speed, and motion
sustainability?
Energy
• How do animals store, absorb, or release energy for
different purposes?
• What are analogous mechanisms for energy storage
and absorption?
This exhibition was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago, in partnership with the Denver Museum of
Nature & Science, with generous support provided by the Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust and ITW.
Book your field trip today!
Call 617-723-2500 to secure your preferred date and time.
Museum of Science Exhibit Links
Curriculum Connections
These exhibits and presentations can connect directly to
Animals: Machines in Motion, helping to spark new questions
or allow students to apply the ideas they have learned.
Below are examples of themes that link to and reinforce
classroom work in the Next Generation Science Standards. To
learn more about connecting this exhibit to the classroom, visit
mos.org/educators or contact the Educator Resource Center
at 617-589-0172.
Live Animal Presentation (Daily)
Explore the adaptation, behaviors, and ecology of animals, as well
as the environments they live in, with the furry, feathered, and scaly
residents of our Live Animal Care Center.
Butterfly Garden (Timed Ticket Required)
Walk among the free-flying residents of this warm conservatory filled
with exotic plants. This tropical oasis offers a wonderful opportunity
to get close to a variety of living butterflies from New England and
across the globe.
Dinosaurs: Modeling the Mesozoic and Triceratops Cliff
Through fossils and life-size models, learn how paleontologists
compile evidence and change the way we view extinct animals. Get
an up-close view of a 65-million-year-old fossil named Cliff, one of
only four nearly complete Triceratops on public display in the world.
Yawkey Gallery on the Charles River
Coming Late March
Learn about the natural and engineered worlds with a new permanent exhibit that takes advantage of the Museum’s unique Charles
River location.
Content Alignment
PS2.A Forces and Motion (Elementary, Middle, and High School)
Though not explicitly discussed, there are numerous examples of
Newton’s Laws in action throughout the exhibition.
PS3.A Definitions of Energy (Middle and High School) The
exhibition has a gallery focused on how animals insulate themselves
or radiate heat into the environment.
PS3.B Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer (Middle
and High School) Within the exhibition, animals are constantly
converting potential to kinetic energy through spring-like structures
and materials.
LS1.A Structure and Function (Elementary) Animals have a variety
of structures that help them function in specific ways for survival, all
within the laws of physics.
Practice Alignment
Asking questions and defining problems Within the exhibition
text, questions are asked for visitors to think about. These can
potentially inspire new questions.
Developing and using models Examples of technology inspired by
nature (biomimicry) are throughout the exhibition. These technologies
rely on models of how animals or plants function.
Planning and carrying out investigations Digital interactives ask
visitors to test their ideas and review actual data taken by scientists.
Crosscutting Concepts Alignment
Scale, proportion, and quantity The scale and size of different
animals and plants affect properties such as bone size, heart
structure, muscle density, and more necessary for survival.
Structure and function Different materials are needed for different
functions. The material itself and its shape can work together to help
organisms survive in harsh conditions.
Photo © Nicolaus Czarnecki MAR-16-7386
Education Toolkit
For additional resources that connect to this exhibit,
including videos, activities, and design challenges,
visit: biomechanics.fieldmuseum.org.
Visit mos.org for the latest updates on live presentations
and other programming related to this exhibition!
The Museum of Science gratefully acknowledges the support of our Premier Partners:
Media Partner