Animals have been an important subject of scientific study for centuries. The use of the animal for research and science education in settings beyond the laboratory has received considerably less attention than use of laboratory animals. Animals, dead or alive, are routinely used as exhibits in zoos, natural history museums, universities, and other settings, often as part of both research and education. The majority of scholarship has focused on the individual outcome rather than a holistic view of the potential of these institutions to truly contribute to the scientific enterprise. This panel will examine the impact of animals in scientific exhibits on our understanding of the animal, our understanding of science, and the place of the animal in human society. It will consider what impact animals in scientific exhibit have on our attitudes toward animals, toward science, and toward our desires to understand the relationship between the scientific enterprise, human values, and people's desire to conserve species and biodiversity.