Fish do it, frogs do it, pythons, eagles, and elephants do it, yet poop is one of those subjects we find difficult to talk about with a straight face. Kids, however, are positively fascinated by it, and we can learn a lot about an animal by examining what it leaves behind.
The Scoop on Poop features large colorful graphic panels, three-dimensional models, and sturdy interactive components. Visitors are invited to listen in on a bear’s digestive system, learn the language of poop in countries around the world, examine fecal samples in a veterinarian’s lab, compete in dung beetle races, track wild animals by clues left in scat, see how long it takes an elephant to poop their body weight, improve their #2 IQ in Stool School, and meet a dinosaur dung detective.
The Scoop on Poop
This traveling exhibition introduces visitors to the science of poop and is designed for a family audience. The full exhibition includes 18 themed areas containing interpretive graphics, interactive exhibits, 3-dimensional models, and live animal habitats.
Based on the Book by: Dr. Wayne Lynch
Booking Period: 12-week minimum
Space Required: 2,000 to 4,000 square feet.
Gallery Conditions: Requires a secure indoor space at room temperature.
Shipping: Host institution is responsible for inbound shipping of exhibition components (one 53′ trailer).
Please contact us for exhibit pricing and availability.
Host Institution provides and cares for live animals:
House mice (Mus musculus)
Malagasy Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina)
Poop Has Many Names – Visitors are invited to push buttons on a world map to learn the language of poop in countries around the world.
A New Alternative – This 3-D model of a modern sewage digester comes to life with pumps and aerators to show an environmentally responsible way to deal with human waste.
Outhouse – Most kids have never seen an outhouse and this old-fashioned replica gives them a chance for an unusual photo opportunity.
Worth Your Weight In… – African elephants are the biggest poopers of all land animals. Step on the scale to see how many hours (or minutes!) it takes an elephant to poop your body weight.
Fecal Framework – This full-size, touchable replica of an African termite mound lets kids explore how termites glue their houses together with their own dung.
Muck Spreading – Activate a video recording of a bull hippopotamus broadcasting dung with his tail.
Dung Boots – Watch a rhinoceros kick and stomp its dung so he can mark his territory with a trail of smelly footprints.
Ins & Outs – Listen in on a grizzly bear’s digestive tract and learn how food becomes poop.
Fecal Fakers – See if you can spot animals that camouflage themselves by looking like bird droppings.
Dung Beetle Race – See whose beetle is the fastest. Turn a rubber dung ball to move your beetle to the finish line.
Beetles to the Rescue – Why aren’t we up to our eyeballs in dung? Activate this video clip to see a time-lapse recording of beetles cleaning up a dung pile.
Who Dung It? – Animal scat is a great way to learn about the wild animals in your area. Learn to be a scat tracker by matching dung samples with the animals that made them.
Diagnostic Doo – Check out the close-up world of dung through a veterinarian’s microscope. Can you see anything unusual?
Touch a Coprolite – Dinosaurs left more than bones and teeth behind – some of their droppings were also preserved. Touch an 80 million year old fossilized turd.
Fossil Feces – Activate several short interviews with a paleontologist who studies fossilized animal dung.
Buffalo Chip Courtship – Activate a video recording of sarus cranes performing a bizarre mating ritual. The male throws buffalo dung around to impress the female.
