Hall of Natural Wonders

Oklahoma boasts the fourth-highest biodiversity of any of the 50 United States. Some of the unique habitats that make this diversity possible are featured in the Noble Drilling Corporation Hall of Natural Wonders. Surround yourself in the sights and sounds of Oklahoma’s natural landscapes in this beautiful gallery where “immersion” style dioramas make you feel as if you are walking through the environments. In the Ozark highlands diorama, oak and hickory branches arch overhead and you are surrounded by the sound of birdsong and rushing water. You can stop to examine the life of a highland stream, spot warblers and other birds in the branches, and discover the hidden life of the forest floor. Explore a walk-through limestone cave, where you can experience the life of bats, blind crayfish and other animals that make their homes in near to total darkness. The mixed-grass prairie diorama is dominated by a pair of majestic bison and is full of details and surprises. A rattlesnake rattles a warning as you approach, and butterflies open and close their wings. A close look reveals bees in the flowers, a black-tailed jackrabbit in the grass, and much more. The dramatic landscape of Black Mesa, Oklahoma’s highest and driest point, features plants and animals found nowhere else in the state. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit is the Sam Noble Museum’s most recent—and interactive—addition to the Hall of Natural Wonders, spilling over the boundaries of the diorama’s enclosed display area to include touch-screen computer interactives and a naturalistic walkway where museum visitors can pass under large cottonwood trees through a short-grass prairie habitat alongside a stream.