© 2001-2002 Carole Moore Raleigh - A sweet-faced young woman who mans the desk in the Naturalist Center of the
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences answers questions pelted at her by nine-year-olds. "What's inside?" "Where are the eyes?" "What happened to the feathers on its back?" The object of their
curiosity is a very dead bird, stuffed and molting due to the daily handling of dozens upon dozens of children. The young woman, whose name tag declares her "Jenny," patiently shows the children how to hold the animal remains and
place them back in the proper roll-out shelf where they're stored. There's a dead gull, a dead opossum, a dead snake pickled in a jar and lots of other dead bugs, birds, mammals and rodents. It's heaven for curious children
because no one says, "Don't touch." Touching here is encouraged and Jenny's around to make sure the touching is the right kind. Quality dead birds can be difficult to come by. "Wow! A seagull! Here, pet it!" One child says
to his friend, offering the mute gull's carcass to a friend. The other little boy strokes the feathers the way Jenny taught him and smiles. "I petted a seagull!" He exults. Moms and Dads and older kids swing through
here, too, just as interested as the kids. But -- contrary to what a stockpile of once-and-former warm- and cold-blooded living creatures might lead one to think, this museum is about life -- the science of life. A
celebration of all the things that came before us and those that now co-exist with us in the Tarheel state, the museum, which is located in downtown Raleigh, is a sparkling, state-of-the-art facility with colorful exhibits set up
in such a way as to grab and hold the attention of the young and old alike. Museum spokesperson Nancy Walters reflects the pride the staff feel in their four floors of exhibits and its occupants. Walters says more than
40,000 people went through the museum during its 24-hour opening on April 7th of last year. "There were lines that wound all the way around the block," Walters says. She characterizes public reaction to the museum as
"astounding" and says the crowds have been very enthusiastic. "We've had a great response and great numbers," Walters said. That should surprise no one. The quality and variety of exhibits is wonderful, with
something for everyone. Everything from dinosaurs to termites occupy floor space here. And right now the big draw is the museum's special Jurassic Park Exhibit, a traveling treat that will only be available for viewing through this
weekend. Jan. 15th is the final day of the exhibit, which features massive dinosaur skeletons, as well as a theatrical presentation narrated by actor Jeff Goldblum. The special exhibits are brought in to enhance the
visitor's experience and give them something new to see. The next exhibit to come to the museum is entitled, "Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss." That exhibit, which will run from Feb. 17th through May 6th, will explore life on
the deepest part of the ocean floor. From June 2nd through Sept. 3rd, the special exhibit will center around the Hubbell Space Telescope and, of course, deep outer space. There's a nominal fee to see the special exhibits,
but the rest of the museum's menu is absolutely free. And it's a terrific way to spend a day. Visitors can wander through prehistoric North Carolina, visit the anthropoids, look down on a waterfall and check out the rocks
and minerals indigenous to the region. There's also a section devoted to hands-on experiences for the younger set. While the Naturalist Center is geared toward children, ages eight to11, the Discovery Room gives smaller
youngsters a place of their own. They can touch a wild animal and find out how to explore their own backyards with a new eye. One of the most interesting permanent exhibits deals with the dinosaurs that once inhabited the
state. One room, a large, sunny two-story alcove encased in glass and visible from the street, showcases an example of the museum's most important acquisitions: an Acrocanthosaurus skeleton poised to attack a life-size Pleurocoelus
twice its size. The room, a real draw for both kids and adults, also provides interactive videos so visitors can watch a computer-generated recreation of the (thwarted) attack. But for those who like their creatures
massive, that's not all. Next door, floating through the air with the greatest of ease, are gigantic whale skeletons. The skeletons, which dwarf bystanders, are suspended from the ceiling by barely visible cables. Putting
them there wasn't an easy task, Walters says. She said the whale exhibit was retained from the old museum before it's newly-remodeled grand opening. The skeletons were taken down, dismantled, cleaned, stored and, finally, put back
together and rehung. The enormous whales are a great favorite of museum goers, and so is Willo, the "dinosaur with a heart." The dinosaur, a Thescelosaurus, was a plant eater that stood about 13 feet high and weighed
approximately 665 pounds. Discovered in South Dakota in 1993, the dinosaur was purchased by the museum in 1996. But Willo is no ordinary dinosaur. Willo was the first dinosaur to be found with a fossilized heart. And
subsequent examination of that heart has changed the way we look at dinosaurs today. For one thing, Willo's heart indicates that it was a warm-blooded creature, which goes against all prevailing theory that dinosaurs were
cold-blooded, reptilian creatures. Of course, science is still investigating the new ideas to which Willo's discovery has pointed. But it's an exciting idea to think the creature that brought about so much controversy to
the world of paleontology now lives in North Carolina alongside the modern, indigenous animals, plants and minerals that make up the state. Whether it's the mountains, the piedmont or the coastal plains that strikes your
fancy or if you just want to walk in the world where the dinosaurs roamed, the museum has a little something for everyone. And it doesn't cost a thing to see it.
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