Liberty at the Meadowlands

Just one of many of the exhibits at the newly renovated Liberty Science Center!

Eat and Be Eaten

Which side of the plate are you on?

The natural world is an exciting and dangerous place, where most denizens spend their days – and nights – seeking food to survive, while at the same time trying to avoid being eaten themselves. The interplay of predator and prey makes up an elegant dance, and a deadly spectacle, as each individual and species fights to gain the upper hand, using any means available – and constantly creating fresh ones.Long before human beings developed poisons and camouflage and radar and many other staples of modern warfare, nature was using all of these elements and more in the struggle to survive. Eat and Be Eaten, filled with scores of live animals, will help you explore the complex interaction that has been elegantly called the "circle of life." You'll never think about dinner the same way again.Exhibition Themes

► Hide and Seek See how animals and plants use camouflage, both offensively and defensively. By blending into their surroundings, animals can hunt more effectively or avoid being detected by their deadliest predators. Live species you’ll encounter in this area include leaf-tailed geckos, firefly-mimic cockroaches and an alligator snapping turtle.

► Chemical Warfare Explore how animals and plants use a wide variety of toxic compounds to hunt and to protect themselves. They may be manufactured by the species themselves or obtained by consuming foods full of toxins – to which the animal is immune, but not its prey. Creatures you’ll see include black widow spiders, a Gila monster and poison dart frogs.

► Built for the Kill Learn how predators exhibit a wide range of adaptations to detect, capture and consume prey. A four-foot Asian water monitor serves as the perfect example of an effective predator.

► Cheating Death See the wide range of individual and group behaviors that species use to keep from getting captured – and even find ways to survive once they’re trapped in another creature’s jaws! Live species include puffer fish, hissing cockroaches and red-legged tortoises.