MISD and Little Inventors are looking for your wildest invention ideas - inspired by animals or made to help them!
From the tiniest ant to the biggest blue whale, animals are incredible inventors themselves! They build, fly, swim, dig and adapt in ways that humans can learn from.
Every creature has its own special superpower - like how geckos stick to walls, bees build perfect hexagons, or birds navigate thousands of miles on migration.
When humans create inventions inspired by the amazing abilities of animals, it’s called biomimicry. But even though animals have incredible superpowers, they don’t always have all the answers – sometimes they need a little help solving problems, just like we do!
Your challenge is to invent something -
inspired by an animal
OR
designed to help an animal!
Maybe it’s shoes that help you climb like a lizard, a raincoat that sheds water like a duck’s feathers or a tunnel that helps frogs cross roads safely!
Get ready to explore, observe, and invent - because the animal kingdom has A LOT to teach us!
Activity 1
Full screenDetroit Zoo | Connect with a Behavioral Husbandry Expert
Meet Mary, a behavioral husbandry coordinator at the Detroit Zoo. Behavioral husbandry at the Detroit Zoo means everything involving the care and well-being of the animals.
From walking donkeys to helping giraffes hit new training milestones (with snacks involved, of course), Mary’s mornings are anything but ordinary.
She even makes time to prep enrichment treats for polar bears — all before lunch!
Take a behind-the-scenes look at how behavioral husbandry helps animals thrive, and how teamwork makes it all happen.
Activity 2
Full screenDetroit Zoo | Connect with a Night Zookeeper
Stay out late with Nicole, a night zookeeper who spends her evenings helping animals wind down for bed — and welcoming the nocturnal animals just beginning their day.
Go behind the scenes to discover fascinating nighttime behaviors of aardvarks, bats, beavers and other species that come alive after dark.
Activity 3
Full screenDetroit Zoo | Connect with a Veterinarian at the Detroit Zoo
Dr. Dana Clark is a veterinarian dedicated to the highest level of animal care . Dana and her team care for the animals at the zoo from the smallest frog to largest giraffes and rhinos.
She's there when an animal is in need of emergency care but also for the ones that just need a regular check up to make sure everyone is healthy and well.
How to enter!
You can submit more than one invention idea.
Submit invention ideas through our upload page after .
- Draw your inventionon the worksheet of the mini-challenge of your choice
- Scan or photograph the *whole* sheetas straight on as possible
- Upload it in JPEG, PNG or GIF format (choose a file)
Each invention idea will comprise of an image of a clear drawing, the name, age and location of the inventor, the name of the invention and a description, and a contact email address.
Examples of scanned images
