January 25, 2024

Live sloth, tortoises featured in new rainforest animal exhibit at Academy of Natural Sciences

'Under the Canopy,' which also includes boa constrictors and crested geckos, opens in February

By Kristin Hunt
PhillyVoice Staff

Roxanne Minnish/Pexels

Visitors can meet the two-toed sloth and other animals featured in the rainforest exhibit at twice-daily presentations from Feb. 17 through Sept. 2.

The Academy of Natural Sciences will bring a bit of the rainforest to snowy Philadelphia next month with an enormous new exhibit featuring live plants and animals.

"Under the Canopy" will take up 4,800 square feet of the Drexel University museum, leaving the animals room to crawl, climb and hang from branches in their specially created habitats. Featured critters include boa constrictors, red-footed tortoises, crested geckos and an internet favorite: the two-toed sloth.

Each day of the exhibit's multi-month run, animal handlers will lead presentations at 10:30 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. These shows will introduce visitors to 3-4 animals in the exhibit, highlighting their unique features, eating habits and survival tactics. Audience members may even get to touch a sloth or snake, though the animal lineup is subject to change.

Animal feedings and 1 p.m. sloth training sessions — which include exercise and enrichment — will occur daily.

"Under the Canopy" also will feature inanimate animals in the form of life-size sculptures. The statues are climbable, and since they're not real, kids won't have to worry about a surprise gorilla attack.

The exhibit aims to educate visitors on conservation by offering advice and actions they can take to support rainforests. "Under the Canopy" opens Saturday, Feb. 17 and will close in early September. Tickets are $20 for adults and $16 for children.