Open Daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The Secret World of Elephants
Oct. 10, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027
Big Feet, Big Ears, Big Secrets
How do elephants “hear” with their feet, use the 40,000 muscles in their trunks or reshape the forests and savannas they live in?
Discover the hidden lives of Earth’s largest land animals in The Secret World of Elephants, an exhibition that reveals the biology, behavior and impact of these iconic giants. From sensing vibrations through their feet to wielding their muscled trunks with remarkable precision, elephants experience the world in fascinating ways.
Examine both modern elephants and their ancient relatives by exploring their remarkable intelligence and sensory abilities, the important role they play in sustaining healthy ecosystems and the ongoing efforts to address the threats they face.
See a full-scale woolly mammoth model, touch tooth casts, experience a sound station using low-frequency vibrations, learn why elephants are essential to the health of our planet, and more.
Exhibit Highlights
- View a life-size African elephant model that uses video projection to demonstrate how an elephant processes food and their nearly-two-years-long gestation process.
- Discover how elephants use their trunks to lift, grasp, drink and communicate.
- Experience how elephants “hear” through their feet by sensing low-frequency vibrations traveling through the ground.
- Explore elephant “poop,” featuring replica dung and the key nutrients it provides for plants and other animals.
- Learn to “speak elephant” through observing elephants’ social behaviors.
- Investigate elephant and human connections and interactions.
The Secret World of Elephants is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org). All photos by Alvaro Keding/© AMNH.
Sponsored locally by Isdell Family Foundation
Additional support provided by the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation.
Fernbank is a nonprofit natural history museum, giant screen theater and old-growth forest, and is not affiliated with Fernbank Science Center, which operates as a division of DeKalb County Schools.
