$10 adults | $9 Fla. residents, seniors & non-UF college students | $7 ages 3-17 | FREE for UF students & Museum members.
For COVID-19 safety procedures and visitor protocols, visit our Reopening Procedures page.
How can slow and steady win the race? Does bigger always mean better? Survival of the Slowest features animals that are slow, small or weak and explores how they use these traits to thrive!
Visitors get an up-close look at live animals, including a sloth, hedgehog, snake and others. The exhibit has a keeper onsite to answer visitor questions, hold daily presentations and ensure the animals are healthy and happy! Meet creatures that have survived for millions of years despite their apparent disadvantages, and learn about the puzzling sides of evolution and adaptation. Discover the difference between warm- and cold-blooded animals, and see the unique ways they hide from predators. A keeper is on site to give daily presentations and answer your questions!
This is a bilingual exhibit. Esta es una exposición bilingüe.
Live Animals
Take a walk on the wild side and meet these slow, slithery and slimy animals!
Unique Evolution
Colorful graphics and touchscreens reveal other adaptations used by wildlife like warm- verses cold-blooded body temperatures and a difference in size, speed and energy use.
Animal Caretaker
A keeper is on site during business hours to monitor the animals, as well as answer questions from guests. Lucky visitors may even get to meet some of the animals! The keeper also provides information on backyard conservation and local issues related to wildlife. Stop by and meet Del from Little Ray’s Nature Centre!
Linnean Two-Toed Sloth
From: Central and South America Size: About 2 feet long Diet: Fruits, leaves, insects Did You Know: Despite being the slowest mammals in the world, sloths are great swimmers!
Red-Footed Tortoise
From: Central and South America Size: About a foot long Diet: Leaves, grass, fungi, fruits, flowers Did You Know: These slow-moving reptiles can live more than 50 years and primarily communicate through head movements.
Green Iguana From: Central and South America; invasive species in Florida Size: Up to 6 feet long Diet: Insects and spiders when younger, mostly plants and fruits when fully grown Did You Know: They can fall from up to 50 feet without injury and can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes!
Pygmy Hedgehog
From: Africa Size: 6-11 inches long Diet: Insects, small reptiles, spiders, fruits, nuts, vegetables Did You Know: They use their spines as defense mechanisms and spread a foamy saliva over them. Scientists are unsure why this process, known as anointing, takes place.
Box Turtle
From: Florida Size: 4-6 inches long Diet: Snails, earthworms, beetles Did You Know: They’re identifiable by the yellow streaks on their black shells. Although small, adults can completely retreat into their shells to evade predators.
Bearded Dragon
From: Australia Size: Up to 2 feet long Diet: Crickets, mice, vegetables, worms Did You Know: They will wave to other bearded dragons to show interest and use head bobbing to indicate a desire to mate.
Gray Rat Snake
From: North America Size: 3-6 feet long Diet: Lizards, frogs, rodents, birds Did You Know: In Florida, they can be found in the Panhandle, west of the Apalachicola River.
Horned Frog
From: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay Size: 4-7 inches long Diet: Small invertebrates, birds, mammals Did You Know: They’re also called the Pac-Man frog because of their round shape.
Green Basilisk
From: Central America Size: Up to 3 feet long Diet: Spiders, insects, small lizards, worms Did You Know: These lizards can run short distances on water.
Blue-Tongued Skink
From: Australia Size: Up to 2 feet long Diet: Insects, fruit, plants, meat Did You Know: They use their tongue to ward off predators: The blue color makes them seem sick and unsafe to eat.
Veiled Chameleon
From: Yemen and Saudi Arabia Size: Males are 17-24 inches long, while females are 10-14 inches long Diet: Insects, with leaves as a water source Did You Know: They can change into a variety of colors and can even constrict themselves to look like a tree branch.
Pine Snake
From: North America Size: Up to 6 feet long Diet: Mice, small mammals, birds, lizards, insects Did You Know: They spend most of their lives in underground burrows and are one of the largest snakes in North America.
This exhibit was produced by Little Ray’s Nature Centres, an exotic animal rescue and educational outreach program based in Canada. The center is accredited by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums and must adhere to the highest standards of quality animal care and welfare to achieve this certification. All animals in the exhibit have experienced keepers for the duration of the exhibit who ensure the highest quality of animal care and welfare on a daily basis.
All enclosures are maintained at the appropriate temperature, humidity and light cycles required for each animal. Feeding is done with ethically sourced nutrition and tailored to the individual animal’s needs.
The animals are either rescues or captive bred from an ethical breeder, and some are part of a species survival plan (SSP) program in an effort to reestablish populations of endangered species. All of the animals in the exhibit are closely monitored. No animal that exhibits stress around the public may be placed into any exhibit or educational program. If an animal’s behavior ever changes or if there is any concern about stress, then that animal is removed from educational programming until senior staff and/or our veterinarian(s) can re-assess the animal in question.
Although there are no animals in the exhibit that are considered to be at risk of contracting COVID-19, the animals are constantly monitored by zookeepers and veterinarians to ensure they have a safe stay while at the Museum. Additionally, where interactive experiences are permitted, all staff and guests will be required to sanitize their hands before and after any interactions.