Cleveland Museum of Natural History is located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio and is surrounded by many cultural, educational, and medical institutions. The museum is currently in the construction phase of a large new addition and renovation to the building complex. Prior to this, the outdoor portion of the museum, with live animal exhibits of rescued individuals, was completely overhauled in 2016. It is called the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden, and is located adjacent to one side of the museum on a wooded hill, with a visitor path that is on elevated boardwalks for about half of its journey. By my count there are 21 exhibits. A noteworthy feature is that 4 of the exhibits are connected to an elevated trailways system that meets at a small holding/transfer building that appears to be a spot where keepers can interact with the inhabitants, or at least hold them if their main exhibits are closed off temporarily? These trailway-connected exhibits are the ones for bobcat, red fox, gray fox, and raccoon. Here is a species list of the signed exhibits at the center, arranged as the exhibits are encountered in an approximate clockwise direction from the single visitor entrance to the complex. Since many of the exhibits have signs specifying the names of the inhabitants, I will follow many of the species with their names in quotations: Coyote 1: "Ember", "Red", "Tex" Coyote 2: "Ember", "Red", "Tex" Coyote Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Sandhill Crane: "Daphne", "Niles" Sandhill Crane Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Small Wetland Pool 1: Unsigned fish Small Wetland Pool 2: Unsigned fish Small Wetland Pool Exhibits by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM North American River Otter: "Calvin", "Hobbes", "Linus" North American River Otter Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Striped Skunk: "Marvin", "Stanley" Striped Skunk Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Common Raven: "Blackjack" (off exhibit that day) Common Raven Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Barn Owl: "Castor", "Pollux" Barn Owl Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Snowshoe Hare Snowshoe Hare Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Barred Owl: "Cloudy", "Sunny" Barred Owl Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM American Crow: "Rook", "Roxy" Turkey Vulture: "Baldy", "Gandolf" American Crow and Turkey Vulture Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Gray Fox: "Ash", "Buckeye" Gray Fox Exhibit with Access to Elevated Trailway by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Raccoon (albino): "Meeko" Raccoon Exhibit with Access to Elevated Trailway by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM North American Porcupine: "Lancelot" North American Porcupine Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Bobcat: "Bitty", "Bob" Bobcat Exhibit - Viewing Shelter by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Red Fox: "Scarlet" Red Fox Exhibit with Access to Elevated Trailway by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Aviary with walk-through section: (I doubt these species signs are updated) American Goldfinch American Robin American Woodcock Baltimore Oriole Black-capped Chickadee Blue Jay Blue-winged Teal Carolina Wren Cedar Waxwing Common Gallinule Dark-eyed Junco Eastern Bluebird Gray Catbird Green Heron Green-winged Teal Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Rose-breated Grosbeak Ruffed Grouse Scarlet Tanager Song Sparrow Tufted Titmouse White-throated Sparrow Wood Duck Songbird Aviary by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Songbird Aviary - Lower Viewing Area by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM Peregrine Falcon: "Endeavour" Peregrine Falcon Exhibit by geomorph posted 9 Sep 2021 at 6:03 PM I have posted these and additional photos in the gallery.
@geomorph: Thank you very much for this thread/post. I didn't know that there is such an insititution at Cleveland (sorry @snowleopard, if I have overread this in one of your zoo tour threads). And it seams, that it has also a few treasures at least for European visitors (e. g. snowshoe hare).
It's been years since I visited the Museum. Jimmy crickets these exhibits look amazing better than most zoo exhibits for these species. This collection is like a mini zoo in itself. GREAT JOB Cleveland Natural History Museum. This is why Cleveland,Ohio is a class act not know to outsiders! Terrific job. and thank you adding this post!
WOW, this museum is gorgeous! What fantastic exhibits, both for the animals the guests. I'd been iffy about trying to fit this place in on a future visit to Cleveland, I clearly have to.
Hopefully the new addition and renovation of parts of the museum will be finished by the time of your visit, the plans look promising.
This website page for the engineering firm that worked on the Perkins Wildlife Center has several nice aerial photos (or renderings?) of the site: Project (osborn-eng.com)
For that matter, the design firm responsible for the project also has some fine photos Natural History Galleries and Perkins Wildlife Center, Cleveland | Thinc Design It should be noted that the site includes steep slopes and had a number of fine large trees before work began. These presented special challenges and opportunities for the design.
@geomorph Thanks for the species list and photos of this facility. Do you know what exhibits/species they are adding in their expansion? What is your review of this facility overall? Is it a good native species zoo, as it appears to be from photos?
The Museum is expanding. The Wildlife Center was Phase 1 and was basically creating a new Wildlife Center to replace the old one and free up that space for the expansion. The new Perkins Wildlife Center is not expanding. (There is no place to expand to)
The expansion will be indoor exhibit halls but I do not know if they will have any live animal exhibits indoors (I do not think so). Currently the interior of the museum is very limited due to the construction, so I was not impressed; however the Perkins Wildlife Center is a nice facility that is fun to explore. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has very few North American species so this facility is a nice compliment to the zoo.
It would seem phase III of the redevelopment (currently on phase II) includes an indoor wildlife center next to the outdoor center. I can imagine that’ll feature reptiles, fish, and amphibians which are lacking from the outdoor section. Project Timeline | Cleveland Museum of Natural History
@birdsandbats made one for Omaha a month ago. Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Full Species List [Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo] I don't think anyone will attempt a species list for Georgia Aquarium, there are too many unsigned species in large aquariums.
I’m sorry to report that I visited Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on this same trip but did not record the species signs to make a list!
