The name evokes the mystery of those hazy, early man forms that were probably ancestors to us all. Even more, Africa calls up images of exotic wildlife - gorillas, rhinos, predatory cats, seemingly endless herds of large grazing animals. Africa is a land of grand scale. Covering an area almost four times as large as the continental United States, Africa accounts for one-fifth of the world's land mass.
Climatic regions are varied and often extreme.
Tropical forests, arid plains, harsh deserts, lush grassland savannas, and high, snow-covered mountains provide a variety of habitats for the continent's abundant wildlife. Simson African Hall presents one of the most diversified collections of African mammals and birds in the world. Exhibits include a pride of lions on high ground alertly surveying the savanna below, a cheetah at the moment of the kill, and almost two dozen species of hoofed mammals from the tiny klipspringer to the majestic nyala, from the flashy zebra to the elegant giraffe. All exhibits display animals, either alone or in associated groups, within the framework of their natural habitats. Tours hope to convey some of the vastness and excitement of Africa.