Key Takeaways
- The Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Hall of African Wildlife highlights Africa’s diverse ecosystems and species.
- The exhibit features more than 120 specimens representing over 70 African animal species.
- Visitors can explore major African biomes including the Serengeti, Congo Basin, and Sahara Desert.
- Featured animals include the okapi, lowland gorilla, mandrill, and African elephant.
- The exhibit combines wildlife education, conservation awareness, and natural history for visitors of all ages.
Joel Bartsch is a longtime museum executive and educator based in Houston, Texas, with decades of experience in museum leadership, curation, and public science education. As president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Joel Bartsch has helped guide the institution through significant growth in attendance, programming, and public engagement. His career has included leadership and curatorial roles at organizations such as the California State Mining and Mineral Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum, and the Lyman House Memorial Museum. He also served as chairman of the Houston Museum District Association and earned recognition for his contributions to mineralogy and museum science.
Through his ongoing leadership at HMNS, Joel Bartsch remains closely connected to exhibits that highlight science, wildlife, and natural history, including the museum’s Frensley/Graham Hall of African Wildlife, which introduces visitors to Africa’s diverse ecosystems and species.
Explore African Wildlife at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences
Founded in 1909, the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to bringing science, art, and education into the lives of millions of families, students, and patrons from around the world. Over the decades, the museum has acquired and developed numerous permanent venues and exhibits, including the Frensley/Graham Hall of African Wildlife.
The HMNS Hall of African Wildlife provides museum goers with a comprehensive exploration of the incredible biodiversity that comprises the African continent, with portions of the exhibit dedicated to the region’s seven distinct biomes. While many visitors are excited to learn more about Africa’s iconic savanna and grassland biomes, Africa also consists of sprawling deserts, lush forests, and more unique biomes that combine to account for 25 percent of the planet’s biodiversity. Notable spotlights in the Hall of African Wildlife include the Congo Basin, the Sahara Desert, and, of course, the Serengeti Grassland.
Altogether, the exhibit features more than 120 specimens from over 70 species, including the unique okapi. Also known as the forest giraffe or the zebra giraffe, the okapi is endemic to the Northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo. The only other living member of the Giraffidae family, the okapi, is one of many African animals classified as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Primates in the Hall of African Wildlife include the lowland gorilla, the mandrill, and several forest primates. Despite its claim as the most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies, the lowland gorilla is also critically endangered, per the World Wildlife Federation and IUCN, with a decreasing global population. HMNS visitors can appreciate the gorilla’s natural beauty and impressive size: also the largest subspecies of its family, the male lowland gorilla, also known as silverbacks, can reach up to six feet in height and weigh as much as 500 pounds.
The mandrill is much smaller than the lowland gorilla, despite ranking as the largest monkey in the world. HMNS patrons will find their uniquely colored facial markings mesmerizing. Many visitors will recognize the mandrill as the basis for the character Rafiki in the Disney animated film, The Lion King. Male mandrills have a distinct, vibrant red line running down the middle of their faces, coloring their noses and upper lip, while the rest of their faces consist of blue, uniquely grooved skin, making for one of the most interesting faces in the animal kingdom.
Certain specimens demand more floor space, including the African elephant, which HMNS describes as “a symphony of strength.” A symbol of wisdom in African culture, the elephant is a true marvel of natural engineering, with a pair of incisor teeth, called tusks, that grow continuously throughout the animal’s life and a prehensile trunk made up of more than 40,000 muscles.
These represent a small fraction of the animals children, students, and other HMNS patrons can learn about in the Frensley/Graham Hall of African Wildlife. Individuals can see large mammals, deadly predators, birds, reptiles, and many other contributors to Africa’s enormous and intricately connected ecosystem.
Located on Level 2, the Hall of African Wildlife is open during normal museum hours, from 9 AM until 5 PM. Museum patrons can also learn about local wildlife by visiting the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife. More information about visiting HMNS and both permanent and special exhibits is available online at hmns.org.
FAQs
What is the Hall of African Wildlife at HMNS?
The Frensley/Graham Hall of African Wildlife is a permanent exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science that showcases African ecosystems, biodiversity, and wildlife through detailed displays and preserved specimens.
What animals can visitors see in the exhibit?
Visitors can explore exhibits featuring animals such as the okapi, lowland gorilla, mandrill, African elephant, reptiles, birds, and other species from across the African continent.
What African biomes are featured in the exhibit?
The exhibit highlights several African biomes, including the Serengeti grasslands, the Congo Basin rainforest, and the Sahara Desert.
Why is the okapi significant?
The okapi is a rare and endangered species native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is the only living relative of the giraffe.
When can visitors explore the Hall of African Wildlife?
The Hall of African Wildlife is open during regular Houston Museum of Natural Science hours, typically from 9 AM to 5 PM.
About Joel Bartsch
Joel Bartsch is the president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas. Over the course of his museum career, he has held leadership, curatorial, and project management roles at several institutions, including the California State Mining and Mineral Museum and the Lyman House Memorial Museum. Joel Bartsch earned a master of arts in history and the history of science from Rice University and a bachelor of arts in seminary studies from Concordia University. He also previously served as chairman of the Houston Museum District Association.