Experience the wonder
Visit an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum—all under one living roof.
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3D Earth: Rainforests
Explore the Amazon rainforest from the lush forest floor to the dizzying heights of the canopy and all the way from space in our all-new, live 3D show.
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See the forest and the trees. A single tree in a rainforest is home to a wide range of insects, mammals, and birds, while the world’s rainforests contain a staggering amount of biodiversity—more than half of all species on land. But a rainforest is even more than its impressive number of organisms; it’s a powerful system, and its well-being is critical to sustaining Earth and its inhabitants.
Follow Academy scientists on expeditions into the Amazon and travel into space to view real satellite imagery tracking rain and carbon data. Get a new perspective on how rainforests impact life on Earth, why their health is so important, and what’s being done to protect them.
This 20-minute show is hosted live and features pre-recorded spots by Academy scientists, including entomologist Brian Fisher, canopy researcher Meg Lowman, and Executive Director Jonathan Foley.
Hurrah for Ants
Join a colony of leafcutter ants as they go marching one by one—and by the millions—across the floor of the Amazon collecting foliage for their colonies. Though individually small, leafcutter ants have a huge collective impact on the health of rainforest soil.
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Live from the Treetops
New research is being done in the rainforest every day, from pioneering conservation work to implementing technology to monitor forest health. Keep your finger on the pulse of rainforest exploration as live Academy presenters share updates from the field.
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Hanging Ten
They’ll never win a race, but sloths stay slow and steady for good reason. Their low-speed lifestyle keeps the trees they hang in healthy by supplying nutrients and supporting habitats for important algae and fungi.
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Rainforests Make Rain
Rainforests may cover only two-percent of the Earth’s surface, but they affect the planet’s water, energy, and carbon cycles in a major way. Get a look at how these vital ecosystems affect weather all over the world—and maybe even right over your head.
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Daily Screenings
Shows at 11 am, 12 pm, and 1 pm on weekdays and 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, and 3 pm on weekends in the Forum Theater. Check the daily calendar for more schedule information.
Rainforests of the World
Learn more about what you see, hear, feel, and even smell when you step inside the incredible Osher Rainforest.
This forest reserve in Peru has the largest amphibian and reptile diversity on the planet.
In ecosystems, every organism plays a part. From the smallest microbe to the fiercest predator to the talle...
Two recent studies demonstrate how vegetation in the rainforest increases rainfall.
An Academy researcher is studying the adorable, elusive pygmy sloth, a critically endangered species.