Inside the Marsh Cutaway Tunnel

A Walk Through the Cutaway Tunnel

At a science museum, the Marsh Cutaway Tunnel lets visitors look above and below a pretend marsh surface. Large models open along one side to reveal structures inside a water lily and a muskrat. Nearby videos show these living things in a marsh. Visitors compare the models, videos, and test records rather than touching living plants or animals.

In one video, drops roll off the waxy upper surface of a water lily leaf. The broad leaf stays spread across the water, with its upper surface facing the light. A magnified view inside a seed shows a tiny plant beside stored food. In a series of views taken as the seed sprouts, the tiny plant grows while the stored food becomes smaller. Another video follows a flower after pollen reaches it. Seeds later develop inside part of the flower.

The muskrat video shows wide hind feet with skin stretched between the toes. As the feet sweep backward, water moves backward and the animal moves forward. A cutaway animation shows muscles inside the legs shortening as the feet move. Air enters the lungs when the muskrat's nose is above water. The outside fur traps a layer of air close to the skin; after a swim, the skin beneath the fur is still dry. A separate model of a female muskrat shows young developing in a uterus inside her body before birth.

At the test station, museum staff used a floating model with a wind-up motor. They changed the paddles from narrow to wide to represent different amounts of skin between toes. They kept the floating body, motor, number of winding turns, starting mark, and water channel the same. For each paddle width, they ran three trials. They measured how far the model traveled in 10 seconds. The model had no fur, muscles, or lungs. Staff recorded the results below so visitors could decide what the test could—and could not—help explain.