Animal Habitats

The nucleus of the natural history collection was formed with the bequest of Founder Levi W. Mengel’s world-class study collection of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). Science is still a fundamental part of The Museum’s mission, as the permanent Animal Habitats galleries display over 75 taxidermy animals from five continents (leaving out Australia and Antarctica) against backdrops of their natural habitats. Meeting core curriculum standards for schools, the gallery explores landscapes, climates, animal populations and their conservation, predator/prey relationships, and animal diets and behaviors. The natural history collection also includes mounted herbarium specimens and several thousand rocks, minerals, and fossils from Berks County and beyond.