Greensboro Science Center Greensboro Science Center: News & Expansion Updates

A new video talking about the Biodome:

Some highlights from the video
- The dome will be 5 stories tall
- A toucan has already arrived at the center
- Sifakas have been taken off the plans, and in their place are: Squirrel Monkeys and Spider Monkeys
- $1 million worth of tropical plants will be brought in for the project
- Construction will start in April or May
 
Last week, the Greensboro Science Center released a new rendering of their upcoming Biodome via Instagram.

426649479_379837678243443_3113009429866091071_n.jpg


I am bummed to hear Sifakas did not make the cut. Regardless, this is probably the most ambitious project the center has undertaken and I am all the more excited for it.
 
On the one hand, the Discovery House did have an interesting lineup and had quite a few species that I have not seen in other zoos I have visited. On the other hand, it was definitely the weakest live exhibit area at the facility; the enclosures were pretty basic and in some cases, on the small side.

Speaking of which, I have been actually planning to visit the facility this weekend; so this would be my 2nd time in a row visiting right before an exhibit closes.
 
I visited the Greensboro Science Center yesterday and have some notes, updates, and..*ahem*..observations, I would like to share. I'm not going to do a species list for this visit, partially because one of their exhibits is about to close (which may result in animals being shuffled around), and partially because of a big issue I noticed on my visit. I will note changes in the species lineup that stuck out, but I'm not going to do a full analysis
  • The Discovery House was still fully stocked (unlike the herpatarium, which had animals move out prior to the closing date). The only change I noticed was the addition of the Emerald Tree Boa.
  • The new ambassador holding facility that replaced the herpatarium is coming along nicely. Pens are up and some are furnished with climbing structures.
  • The former Nile Crocodile exhibit was fully boarded up. I assume this is also meeting the bulldozer to make room for the new biodome?
  • The center is growing mollusks in the water in the Rhinoceros Iguana/Diamondback Terrapin exhibit. Species include Lettered Olive, Eastern Oyster, Quahog, Florida Crown Conch, Banded Tulip Snail, Blue Mussel, and Ribbed Mussel. They are also joined by Lake Victoria Cichlids and Gulf Killifish.
  • The Giant Isopods in the aquarium have been replaced with Four-eyed Fish (the exhibit itself was redone to accommodate them; this is the 2nd time I've seen that tank get overhauled as before the isopods, it held fiddler crabs).
  • Masked Lapwings appear to be gone.
  • Thanks to beautiful weather, pretty much everything in the zoo was out. I got to see all 3 of their pygmy hippos, all 4 of their red pandas, and even the Fossa, for example.
So I want to address a major issue with this facility that became really apparent on my recent visit; their signage. Like wow, I thought the Virginia Living Museum was bad in this regard, but that facility's worse "crimes" was just signage missing for some of their coral reef displays and them not removing the signage for birds they no longer have in the aviary. But I was still able to get a very accurate species list out of it.

The GSC has that in spades AND a few signs that are just flat out wrong. The aquarium in particular is really bad in this regard. Their signage was always a bit out of alignment, but it seems to be getting worse each time I visit. Multiple mixed-species, such as the Pacific Jewels, Rainbow Reef, and Living Coral exhibits, have multiple species signed but not present, along with multiple species present and missing from the signage. It seems like many fish were shuffled around between different tanks and added/removed, and the signage was never updated to match.

The Amazon Rising exhibit is particularly bad in this regard, with the signage being very out of sync to what's actually in the tanks. The fish lineup has NOT been updated even though multiple species have been swapped in and out. They still have Red-headed Amazon River Turtle signed despite that species having not been present in years. But hey, at least they removed the signage labeling a Metynnis/Myloplus species as "geophagus heckelii" (yes, they basically confused a piranha for a cichlid) despite the pictured animal still being present, so it now has nothing identifying it like most of its roommates. The only accurate updates that exhibit got was adding the sloth and removing the caiman lizard.

And that, of course, isn't mentioning the fact that all of the aquarium signage use electronic touch screen displays. Which have a tendency to malfunction.

And then I was blessed with this beautiful display.
full


And that wasn't the only issue I noticed (keyword: noticed). Their black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) are now signed as A. nigerrima, a species that doesn't even exist in NA zoos. They had the correct species name signed before they redid the graphics.

Just...how? How has the GSC allowed it to get this bad? I love this facility and have it ranked in the top 1/3 of the 34 zoos and aquariums I have visited. This was my 6th visit here since 2015. I spend the entire day there when I go and still enjoy my time there, so it pains me to see them repeatedly botch what I consider to be a vital (and somewhat underrated) component of the guest experience and collection presentation. True, you're average visitor isn't going to notice these errors, but as an enthusiast, these things stick out.

I am sorry if this got overly long/ranty and if I seem like I am hijacking the thread, but I had to get this out of my system and I was hesitant to make it it's own thread since this also involved visit updates. I actually got slightly frustrated when I was noting their species lineup. IMO, the problems are pervasive enough that I refuse to do a species list for this facility until they get this sorted out. I unfortunately do not have the time currently to shift through the 500+ photos I took that day trying to ID every fish species I saw.
 
 
Piece of January 2024 News Not Mentioned:

On January 26th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) maned wolf to Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On May 3rd, it was mentioned that the zoo transferred a (1.0) red panda to the Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio*.

On May 10th, it was announced the zoo will acquire a (0.1) Sumatran tiger named Nety from the Dallas Zoo in Texas in the near future.

PAWS to wish Nety well on her new adventure | PAWS to wish Nety well on her new adventure. We're bidding farewell to Nety, our two-year-old Sumatran tiger, as she prepares to embark on an exciting... | By Dallas ZooFacebook

* Information given by @Jonathan Petersson on the Cincinnati Zoo News 2024 thread (Page 3 Post #59).
 
Last edited:
Astrotom3000 said:
And then I was blessed with this beautiful display.
full


And that wasn't the only issue I noticed (keyword: noticed). Their black howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) are now signed as A. nigerrima, a species that doesn't even exist in NA zoos. They had the correct species name signed before they redid the graphics.

Just...how? How has the GSC allowed it to get this bad? I love this facility and have it ranked in the top 1/3 of the 34 zoos and aquariums I have visited. This was my 6th visit here since 2015. I spend the entire day there when I go and still enjoy my time there, so it pains me to see them repeatedly botch what I consider to be a vital (and somewhat underrated) component of the guest experience and collection presentation. True, you're average visitor isn't going to notice these errors, but as an enthusiast, these things stick out.

I am sorry if this got overly long/ranty and if I seem like I am hijacking the thread, but I had to get this out of my system and I was hesitant to make it it's own thread since this also involved visit updates. I actually got slightly frustrated when I was noting their species lineup. IMO, the problems are pervasive enough that I refuse to do a species list for this facility until they get this sorted out. I unfortunately do not have the time currently to shift through the 500+ photos I took that day trying to ID every fish species I saw.
Click to expand...
To mistake a kookaburra for trumpeter hornbill is indeed plain wrong. I can see why you went off on a want over this. Zoos and museum facilities should present the facts. Goodness me that the Science Center in Greensboro is ******* ** big time here.

For your pleasure I include some information on the trumpeter hornbill:

LINK: https://ebird.org/species/truhor1
 
Today was media day for the upcoming Expedition Rainforest: Greensboro Biodome and ARCC project.
The event was live streamed, new information was given, and a huge model of the building was unveiling
Livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/live/Fl1kTCSNf2o?si=7FdcsFGbkhy5byht
Highlights:
- The dome will be topped with Teflon fabric which will be filled with air, which will let in natural light, as well as keeping the building insulated. The GSC will be one of the first zoos in the East Coast of America to use this (the other zoo being Bronx)
- The ARCC will take guests on a walkway above where all the conservation and rehabilitation is being done and will also have another stingray touch tank
- The Biodome is going to be absolutely massive!! It's roughly a football field long, and 3/4 of one wide! This totals to approximately 32,000 sq. ft.
- The dome will still act as an aviary for a plethora of birds (apparently from a mix of continents), Scarlet Ibis and possibly even Roseate Spoonbills seem to be apart of this group of birds
- The project will cost $32-34 million
- With the completion of this project, the GSC hopes to bring in 750k guests annually, and will have a low estimate of $130 million of annual economic impact. It was also mentioned that the parking lot is going to be expanded.
Timeline:
- Fall 2024 - Groundbreaking
- June 2026 - Construction is complete
- June-August 2026 - Animal integrations
- September 2026 - Grand Opening
- When you walk in the doors of the Biodome, you will be greeted with Naked Eye 3D technology (similar to the 3D billboards is Times Square), this screen will feature a group of Piranhas trying to attack you through the glass
- Next comes a dark cave hallway with lots of herps and inverts with the theme of Life Under the Canopy
- The exhibit for the new world primates will feature a South American pyramid
- The mayor of Greensboro spoke at this event and the President of the AZA sent in a video applauding the GSC for the Biodome

Here's another video with footage of the model:
- The video also shows off a Macaw (Not too sure of the species), but this is not Ruby the Green-wing Macaw who was the GSC's only Macaw. So it appears that there is already another animal for the Biodome at the the Center

Current Species list
- Two-toed Sloth
- Toucan
- Macaws (Green-wing, other species?)
- Clouded Leopard
- Chinese Alligator
- Aldabra Tortoise
- Galapagos Giant Tortoise
- Electric Eel
- Squirrel Monkey
- Spider Monkey
- Freshwater Stingray
- Golden Lion Tamarin
- Scarlet Ibis (?)

Overall, this is looking to be the best project the GSC has ever done and I absolutely cannot wait to see it come to fruition!!
 
Those biodome stats are absolutely impressive. A previous post mentioned it being 5 stories tall, which is much bigger than it sounds. This is almost like a miniature Lied Jungle. I am very excited to see what they do.

Also, assuming this meets the 2026 opening date; us North Carolinians will be eating good that year.
 
Visited the center yesterday!

- There are now 3.0 Radiated Tortoises in with the Lemurs
- Lots of new signage all throughout the center is being put up. There are cool news graphics about the AZA, SSP, and SAFE outside of both the aquarium and the zoo. More of the Animal Discovery signage has been updated to match Revolution Ridge. (Unfortunately, the Kookaburra inaccuracy is still there, but hopefully that will get noticed and changed soon.)
- More general directional signage has been installed all through the inside portion of the center.
- A couple beehives have been put in next to the Pygmy Hippos
- Aldabra Tortoises have once again been moved into the outdoor Komodo Dragon habitat
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top