Museum Campus Showcases Reptiles!
Chicago's Field Museum is known for its incredible exhibits, one of which is the iconic SUE the T. rex.
Reptiles Alive! is a new feature that has opened within the Field Museum. This exhibit highlights reptiles from all over the world â from Africa, Asia, and Australia to your own backyard, Reptiles Alive! has it all.
Features such as 3D models, live animals, thermal imaging, and more make it the perfect kid-friendly exhibit.
Sara Ruane, the curator of the exhibit, said that everything was created in-house â including a giant snake skeleton that runs across the ceiling. Ruane noted that she has been working on Reptiles Alive! for about two years now.
Ruane spoke on the exhibit:
"One thing I always tell people is you don't have to go to the tropics [or] the Sahara [or] Australia to see reptiles. You can see 50 species, not just around Chicago, but in Illinois."
Reptiles Alive! is dedicated to Karl P. Schmidt, the museum's curator of herpetology from 1922 to 1955. Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles.
Schmidt unfortunately died after being bit by a snake at the Field Museum. However, Ruane stated that he "was a scientist until the end." Schmidt documented all of is symptoms and sensations after the bit in "Diary of a Snake Bite" until he passed away.
"What I always want to emphasize to people is: Learn about the animals and the reptiles, or whatever it is you're interested in, right outside your door before you start worrying about how you need to go the Amazon," Ruane said. "Not that that's not awesome, because it is. But you don't need to go far away to observe 25 species of snakes right around Chicago."
The Reptiles Alive! exhibit is currently open at the Field Museum and will run through April 5, 2026. Please note that this exhibit requires an All-Access Pass.