Vivarium for ecosystem teaching purposes and recreational observation

An enclosure to provide aquatic, amphibious and terrestrial plants and animals and flying animals with a natural environment that prevents escape. In one embodiment, an aquatic area and terrestrial area are connected by way of two ramps, so that animals may go back and forth between water and land. The aquatic and terrestrial areas are able to be drained through bottom outlets. The upper part of the enclosure confines an air zone in which flying animals may fly above and land in the water and land zones. The upper part of the enclosure has side and top openings covered by panels. At least one of the side panels is openable. In the preferred embodiment, the panels are covered with screen, however, they may be covered with glass or plastic.

FIELD OF INVENTION 
This invention relates to natural sciences observation and teaching devices 
such as aquariums, terrariums, and vivariums. This invention is an 
improvement which permits aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals, and 
aerial animals to coexist and interact in a single enclosure, and permits 
teachers and others to demonstrate environmental science lessons that 
require water, land and air. 
BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART 
Most elementary school teachers have not yet recognized the need for a 
single device for educational activities to demonstrate the complexities 
of ecosystem functioning, such as how plants and animals grow and live 
with each other, and how they interact with parts of the environment. Yet, 
legislation now requires that teachers teach concepts about total 
ecosystem functioning, not merely how plants and animals grow 
individually. 
Heretofore, teachers and others have had no devices to demonstrate 
adequately these ecosystem complexities under approximately natural 
conditions. Instead, they have been compelled to "make do" with small 
containers such as glass aquariums, plastic milk or soda bottles, cups, 
saucers, or cages to grow plants and animals. 
Small separate containers do not function for long-term observations and 
measurements (data collection) of natural phenomena for classroom 
environmental science education activities. Such containers may sometimes 
be suitable for observing the growth of a pea plant, or to watch a few 
guppies have babies, or to watch a gerbil use an exercise wheel. However, 
such "make do" containers cannot be used to demonstrate meaningfully 
natural interactions among and between plants and animals, or interactions 
between them and parts of their environment. 
Small containers are inadequate for science and environmental teaching 
activities for at least four reasons. First, they are not big enough. An 
environmental teaching device must have enough room for several specimens 
of several species, and include aquatic and terrestrial plants and 
animals, and flying animals such as insects. 
Secondly, with separate containers there can be no assured species movement 
(interchange) between the containers. Natural ecosystems, on the other 
hand, have many types of species freely occupying and moving about in the 
same area. 
Thirdly, separate containers have either dirt or water. However, a science 
teaching device must have significant water and land zones large enough to 
support aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals and amphibians. In 
addition, animals must be able to move freely between the aquatic and 
terrestrial zones, especially if they are amphibious. 
Fourthly, the individual containers used by teachers are not designed to 
include flying animals such as dragonflies, butterflies and other insects 
which are integral parts of the natural environment and should be integral 
parts of science education activities. An enclosure is needed that has 
enough room for small flying animals to actually fly about and choose to 
land in aquatic or terrestrial areas. 
Containers which have air-impermeable sides and bottoms such as traditional 
glass or plastic aquariums and terrariums, cannot be used to demonstrate 
natural ecosystem functioning. These containers do not allow free air 
movement and heat exchange. The interiors become too hot for normal plant 
and animal functioning, and often too hot for life. What is needed is an 
enclosure whose sides allow for free air movement and heat exchange. 
Glass-bottom containers also cannot be properly drained or set up for 
soil-saturation or evaporation/transpiration activities. That is because 
glass-bottom containers such as aquariums and terrariums do not have a 
means for bottom draining. What is needed is an enclosure that has a means 
for bottom draining. 
In addition, the interiors of glass-sided containers are accessible only 
from the tops, making them less efficient for teaching purposes, and 
making it difficult to reach the biological specimens at the bottom. What 
is needed are openable or removable access panels on the sides as well as 
the top. Side access panels make a habitat enclosure much easier to set 
up, maintain, manipulate and clean. 
Glass-sided containers also present a safety problem, in that children 
leaning on the sides may break the glass and become injured. Therefore, 
children are often told to remain at arms length from the glass 
containers, thus defeating the educational and observational purposes of 
the containers. What is needed is an enclosure made of a material other 
than breakable glass. 
Heretofore, aquariums have housed aquatic animals; terrariums and vivariums 
have housed terrestrial animals. Aquariums have provided sufficiently for 
certain aquatic plants and animals. Likewise, terrariums have provided 
sufficiently for certain terrestrial plants and animals. A limited number 
of designs have attempted to combine aquariums and terrariums. However, a 
search of the prior art demonstrates that no design provides for the free 
interaction of terrestrial, aquatic and aereal animals in conditions which 
approximate the natural environment. The majority of previous inventions 
which combine terrariums and aquariums have separated--not 
integrated--terrestrial and aquatic areas. None provide from the 
containment of aereal animals. Therefore, the free association among all 
types of animals is not possible within these designs. And these designs, 
in many cases, actively prevent the environment from changing, as natural 
environments change over time. 
As for turtles and amphibians, which require aquatic and terrestrial living 
areas, devices have been designed such as special aquariums, U.S. Pat. 
Nos. 4,995,334, 3,786,781, 3,804,064 and 4,176,620. A floating shoreline 
has also been patented, U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,938. Each of the above may be 
said to provide sufficiently for turtles and amphibians in that the 
animals can actually remove themselves from the water. However, removing 
themselves from the water is only one essential activity of these animals. 
These devices do not enable the animals to act naturally once they get out 
of the water: for example, it would be difficult or impossible for a 
turtle to lay eggs in the artificial substrate or to climb into a potted 
plant to lay eggs, as they would have to do in U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,938, or 
to lay eggs in the biologically unsuitable totally saturated mud of U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,176,620. Another device, U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,571, which is 
disclosed to be an aquarium/terrarium/humidifier, might be used to provide 
for turtles and amphibians, except that the flat vertical wall separating 
the water and land does not have a sloping shelf so that animals could 
hoist themselves and crawl onto the land. 
As for terrestrial plants, glass or plastic aquariums and terrariums of the 
prior art are inadequate for natural reproduction and growth. If soil is 
applied to the bottom and plants are planted in it, they eventually die. 
This is because the bottom cannot be drained after water is applied, so 
the soil and root zones become saturated, eventually drowning the plants, 
or giving rise to allelopathic algae, fungus and bacteria which kill the 
plants. Alternatively, if the plants are placed in pots inside the 
terrarium, then the plants cannot vegetatively reproduce and spread. Also 
their roots become constricted, stunting plant growth. 
As for aquatic plants, devices of the prior art do not provide for various 
growth depths required of different submersed and emersed aquatic plants. 
Different species require different water levels for reproduction and 
growth. Aquariums of the prior art contain only submersed plants, which 
represent only a small percentage of aquatic plants. 
As for terrestrial animals, devices of the prior art do not give them a 
constant source of drinking water which cannot spill or which do not 
require frequent re-filling, nor does the prior art include pools large 
enough to accomodate terrestrial animals that swim, nor does the prior art 
provide water areas for prey-predator relationships wherein terrestrial 
animals hunt for prey along side and in pools of water. 
As for flying animals such as large flying insects, no prior art provides 
for all life stages. Life stages for different flying insect species 
cannot be accomodated in previous aquariums or terrariums or combinations 
thereof. Life stages for various species require dirt, terrestrial plants, 
water, aquatic plants, and of course air to fly in. As one example, 
dragonflies have several growth stages, from eggs to aquatic larvae to 
pupae to adult flyers. A device to accomodate them would require a pool of 
water for egg-laying and growth of larvae and pupae, emersed plants for 
pupae attachment and metamorphosis, and of course a suitable volume of air 
for adult flying and for their prey. Other species such as ant lions have 
aquatic larvae, terrestrial pupae and aerial adults. A device for them 
would require water, land and air. 
As for natural interaction among many species of different ecological zones 
(air, land, water), the prior art makes inadequate provision. The prior 
art provides for certain life stages of certain plants and animals, but 
none provides an environment for all life stages of small aquatic, 
terrestrial, amphibious and aerial plants and animals. It also would be 
very difficult to demonstrate natural interactions such as 
cross-pollination by flying insects in the cramped confines of the devices 
of the prior art. 
In the field of the prior art, no invention overcomes the above described 
short-comings. 
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
It is the principal object of the present invention to overcome the above 
described short-comings of the prior art. The present invention provides a 
single enclosure to provide for the normal reproduction, growth and 
interaction of aquatic, amphibious and terrestrial plants and small 
animals, and small flying animals. 
The advantage is that the complex interrelationships of nature can occur, 
and can be observed over time, and can be altered so that the effects of 
the alterations can be observed. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a habitat that more 
closely parallels the natural environment by providing for free airflow 
and bottom drainage. 
The advantage is that temperature and other air changes that naturally 
occur outside the enclosure will also occur inside the enclosure. The 
advantage of bottom draining is that there is no need to place plants in 
drainable pots inside the enclosure; plants may naturally spread and grow. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide teachers, students 
and others a self-contained ecosystem device for easily manipulating, 
observing and studying natural interactions among plants and animals and 
their environment. 
The advantage is that the functions of many separate containers which rear 
different plants and animals are combined into one enclosure. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a habitat that is 
easy to maintain. The openable or removable side panels of the enclosure 
make it possible to reach all interior parts of the enclosure. 
Other objects of the present invention are to provide a habitat that is 
simple in design and inexpensive to manufacture. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention comprises an enclosure, the bottom part of which is 
partitioned, as in a combination aquarium/terrarium. Each bottom 
partitioned area is capable of retaining water, soil or other media. Each 
partitioned area may also be drained through bottom outlets. Filtering, 
pumping and other equipment may be mounted to an exterior wall of any 
partitioned area. 
A means is provided for small animals to be able to walk, crawl or hop 
between partitioned areas. In the example where one partition contains 
water and another contains soil, the means could be a ramp or tube that in 
one partition terminates in the soil, while the other terminus forms a 
shelf submerged in the water. In this way, animals may move freely back 
and forth between terrestrial and aquatic environments. 
The upper part of the overall enclosure confines an air space in which 
flying animals may fly without escaping. The flying animals may alight in 
any partitioned area, or in other embodiments may be confined to certain 
air zones by means of interior panels. The exterior walls of the upper 
part of the enclosure contain openable panels on the sides and on the top. 
The panels may be covered with screening, plastic or glass, depending on 
the needs of the user. The panels prevent free-flying animals from 
escaping the enclosure, they permit unobstructed observation of the 
enclosure's interior, and they permit access to the enclosure's interior, 
including access to the partitioned areas.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1, the invention contains aquatic, terrestrial and 
amphibious plants and animals, and flying insects. The rectangular shaped 
enclosure is probably the most practical shape and is shown for purposes 
of disclosure. However, the invention may be embodied as a partitioned 
circular container on the bottom with an umbrella-shaped top and sides. An 
enclosure of any shape may employ the principles described by the present 
invention. 
The basic structure and interior parts of the enclosure are made of any 
suitable material, but water proof molded plastic is preferred. It is 
believed that the plastic used can be recycled plastic. 
Referring to FIG. 2, the enclosure shown contains two partitioned areas in 
the bottom part: aquatic zone 1, and terrestrial zone 2. The upper part of 
the invention confines the aerial zone 3. The aquatic and terrestrial 
zones are bounded by the walls of the enclosure and a partition member 4. 
The partitioned areas are capable of retaining water, soil or other media. 
The present configuration was chosen for purposes of disclosure. However, 
there could be more than two partitioned areas in the bottom part of the 
invention. Likewise, the aerial zone 3 is disclosed as a single space, 
however internal panels could further divide the aerial zone. 
The aquatic zone 1 and terrestrial zone 2 each have sloping bottoms 5 and 6 
to bottom drain outlets 7 and 8. 
The aquatic zone 1 has windows 9 imbedded into the exterior walls of the 
invention to facilitate underwater viewing. The windows is made of glass 
or plastic and is inserted into the enclosure walls and attached by means 
of waterproof silicon seal. The width end of aquatic zone 1 is a glass or 
plastic window 10 which spans as much as is structurally possible from 
below the water line to the top of the invention. The window 10 is 
practically the entire width end of the aquatic zone 1. 
The aquatic zone 1 includes a planting structure 11 which comprises a 
plurality of soil and plant containers. The planting structure 11 supports 
the containers at different levels so that when placed in a partitioned 
area containing water, the containers are held at different water depths. 
The planting structure 11 enables the planting and growth of aquatic 
plants that prefer different water depths. 
The terrestrial zone 2 is bounded by the exterior walls of the enclosure 
and by a partition member 4 to a height that permits retaining one or more 
inches of drain pebbles 12 and four or more inches of dirt, sand, 
hydroponic beads or other media 13. In other embodiments of the invention, 
partitioned areas may contain only one media so that partitioned areas may 
contain water or dry media, depending on the needs of the user. The width 
end of terrestrial zone 2 is a glass or plastic window 10 which spans as 
much as is structurally possible from the top of the dry media to the top 
of the invention. The window 10 is practically the entire width end of the 
terrestrial zone 2. 
An animal-access means is provided for small animals to be able to walk, 
crawl or hop between partitioned areas. In this embodiment, a removable 
sloping animal ramp 14 terminates at one end flush with the non-water 
media of the terrestrial zone 2. The sloping animal ramp 14 has two ridges 
15 on either edge of the length of the ramp, said ridges being high enough 
to discourage animals from falling off said animal ramp 14. The sloping 
animal ramp 14 gives animals access to another sloping ramp 16 and 
submerged shelf structure 17. Sloping ramp 16 and submerged shelf 17 are 
molded as part of the top of partition member 4. The sloping ramp 16 
begins at the top of partition member 4, slopes into the aquatic zone 1 
and terminates as the submerged shelf structure 17 that is in the water of 
aquatic zone 1. The water level in aquatic zone 1 is maintained so that 
the submerged shelf structure 17 is deep enough for turtles, frogs, newts 
and other small animals to swim onto it. From the submerged shelf 
structure 17, animals can move themselves up the sloping ramp 16 of 
partition member 4, over to the top of the sloping animal ramp 14, and 
down the ramp into the terrestrial zone 2. 
The sloping animal ramp 14 also contains two animal houses in its base. 
Each animal house is simply a partitioned area of the hollow 
understructure of the sloping animal ramp 14. Each animal house has a 
base-level opening 19 that allows animals to move from the land zone into 
the animal house. However, it should be understood that in other 
embodiments there may be none, one or several animal houses in the base of 
the sloping animal ramp 14. 
The upper part of the overall enclosure confines the air zone 3. The air 
zone is large enough for small flying animals to fly about in. In this 
embodiment, the air zone is not partitioned, and flying animals may alight 
in either the water zone or the terrestrial zone. However, in other 
embodiments permanent or removable interior partitions may be added to 
divide the air zone and confine flying animals to particular areas. For 
example, an interior partition, not shown, may be added perpendicularly 
above partition member 4. 
The exterior walls of the upper part of the enclosure contain cutout 
openings on the sides and on the top. The cutout openings, except for 
width-end windows 10, are completely covered with panels 20-27 which may 
be opened or removed. The panel frames are made of a suitable material. In 
the case of the preferred embodiment, the panel frames are made of 
aluminum or other light, rigid material. In the preferred embodiment, the 
panels are inserted into the openings and are held in place by attachment 
means such as small finger-twist flanges. 
The panels 20-27 themselves may be of any material that prevents small 
animals from passing through. Panel material may be screening, glass or 
plastic, depending on the needs of the user. In the case of the preferred 
embodiment, the panel material is metal screening whose mesh size is small 
enough to prevent insects from escaping. The panels serve three purposes: 
to prevent free-flying and other animals from escaping the enclosure, to 
permit free observation of the enclosure's interior, and to permit access 
to the enclosure's interior, including access to all partitioned areas. 
The screened panels of the preferred embodiment serve a fourth purpose as 
well, namely to allow air exchange between the interior and exterior of 
the invention. Free air exchange helps prevent the temperature of the 
interior of the invention from becoming unnaturally hot. Unnaturally hot 
conditions in the interior would affect plant and animal health and could 
cause plant and animal death. 
The invention also includes a plurality of legs 28 of equal length 
extending below and at right angles to the bottom surface of the exterior 
of the enclosure. The legs 28 lift the invention above the floor so that 
viewing and use is facilitated, so that maintenance is facilitated, and so 
that moving the invention is facilitated. 
Two or more of the legs 28 of this embodiment of the invention also include 
wheels 29 attached at floor level to facilitate moving the invention. The 
wheels of the preferred embodiment have a means for retraction (not shown) 
so that the wheels 29 may be lowered to the floor to facilitate moving the 
invention, or may be retracted above the floor when the invention is to 
stay in place. 
The invention also includes a rigid and strong handle 30 which is attached 
horizontally across the exterior width of terrestrial zone 2 of the 
invention. The handle 30 facilitates moving the invention and may be used 
for lifting, pushing and pulling the invention.