Akeley Hall of floors AFRICAN MAMMALS DIORAMA S
2
UPPER NILE REGION DIORAMA CAN YOU FIND A HIPPO IN THE MUD? to the right in this diorama, off to the distance. Do you see anything that might have made the animals shelter on this side of the river? HINT: Look closely at the grass in front of the diorama. How many different kinds of birds do you see here? GORILLA DIORAMA Who Was Carl Akeley? Carl Akeley was a naturalist who perfected the art of taxidermy—the stuffing and mounting of dead animals. He led three Museum expeditions to Africa. On the last trip he collected the animal and plant specimens used to create these world- famous dioramas. Akeley died on this third trip. His grave is at the foot of Mikeno, the mountain shown in the gorilla diorama. LOOK WATER HOLE DIORAMA for the giraffe in the corner. How many kinds of baby animals can you find in this diorama? Why do you think all these animals came here? (HINT: Look again at the diorama’s name!) LOOK for the case in front of the diorama that describes how dioramas are made. This diorama shows part of the Virunga National Park, a sanctuary for mountain gorillas founded by Carl Akeley. Today, as a result of war and famine, much of the park has been deforested. How many gorillas can you see in this diorama? Imagine this diorama comes to life before your eyes. What do you think each gorilla will do next? LOOK AFRICAN MAMMALS DIORAMA S cientists and artists at the American Museum of Natural History first created dioramas over 100 years ago to educate the public about the vanishing wonders of the natural world. They worried that many of these animals were being overhunted, or that their environments were being destroyed. Today, many of the places you see in these dioramas no longer look like this, and lots of the animals shown here are in danger of extinction—of disappearing forever. Akeley Hall of African Mammals, 2nd & 3rd floors www.amnh.org Choose your own favorite diorama. Why do you like it best? WHAT DOES THE MUSEUM DO TODAY? In Akeley’s day, scientists hunted animals for display and study in museums. Today, Museum scientists work to protect animals in the wild and no longer collect them for exhibitions. Instead, scientists collect and study DNA sam- ples. The Museum’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) collaborates with conser- vation projects around the world that help to protect biodiversity—the great variety of life on Earth. The CBC organizes meetings at the Museum in which people discuss threats to biodiversity and how to save it.
Transcript of Akeley Hall of floors AFRICAN MAMMALS DIORAMA S
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
UPPER NILE REGION DIORAMACAN YOU FIND A HIPPO IN THE MUD?
to the right in this diorama,off to the distance. Do you see
anything that might have made the animalsshelter on this side of the river? HINT: Lookclosely at the grass in front of the diorama.
How many different kinds of birds do you see here?
GORILLA DIORAMA
Who Was Carl Akeley?Carl Akeley was a naturalist who perfectedthe art of taxidermy—the stuffing andmounting of dead animals. He led threeMuseum expeditions to Africa. On thelast trip he collected the animal and plantspecimens used to create these world-famous dioramas. Akeley died on this thirdtrip. His grave is at the foot of Mikeno, themountain shown in the gorilla diorama.
LOOK
WATER HOLE
DIORAMAfor the giraffe in the corner.
How many kinds of baby animals can you find in this diorama?
Why do you think all these animalscame here? (HINT: Look again at thediorama’s name!)
LOOK
for the case in front of the diorama that describes how dioramas are made.
This diorama shows part of the Virunga NationalPark, a sanctuary for mountain gorillas founded by Carl Akeley. Today, as a result of war andfamine, much of the park has been deforested.How many gorillas can you see in this diorama?
Imagine this diorama comes to life before youreyes. What do you think each gorilla will do next?
LOOK
AFRICAN MAMMALS DIORAMA
Scientists and artists at the American Museum of Natural History first created dioramas over 100 years ago to educate the public about the vanishing
wonders of the natural world. They worried that many of these animals werebeing overhunted, or that their environments were being destroyed. Today, many of the places you see in these dioramas no longer look like this, and lots of the animals shown here are in danger of extinction—of disappearing forever.
Akeley Hall ofAfrican Mammals, 2nd & 3rd floors
www.amnh.org
Choose your own favorite diorama. Why do you
like it best?
WHAT DOES THEMUSEUM DO TODAY?
In Akeley’s day, scientistshunted animals for displayand study in museums. Today,Museum scientists work toprotect animals in the wildand no longer collect them for exhibitions. Instead, scientists collect and study DNA sam-ples. The Museum’s Center forBiodiversity and Conservation(CBC) collaborates with conser-vation projects around theworld that help to protectbiodiversity—the great variety of life on Earth. TheCBC organizes meetings at the Museum in which peoplediscuss threats to biodiversityand how to save it.
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
© 2002 American Museum of Natural History. All Rights Reserved.
This guide was produced with support from the Ilma Kern Foundation.
Written and produced by Sharon Simpson
Project Team: Monica Philippo and Eric Hamilton
Special thanks to Steven J. Quinn
Designed by Catherine Sánchez
Animals illustrated by Patricia Wynne
HOW DIORAMAS ARE MADEThe dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History are created by scientists, taxidermists, artists, and model-makers working together as a team. Each diorama is an exact copy of a real place.
Create a diorama to show the kinds of animals and plants that live near you. You could visit a park or a river for inspiration.
1. Take photos or draw pictures of the plants and animals you want in your diorama.
2. Decide exactly what you want the diorama and the background sketch to look like.
3. Create your background painting. Put the shoebox on its side and curve the painting around the back wall.
4. Draw animals and plants on poster board or stiff paper and cut them out. Glue them to the floor of your diorama, in front of yourbackground painting. Make a D-shaped hole on the top of the diorama to let some light in.
� North American Birds
YOU'LL NEED:
❑ a shoebox
❑ scissors
❑ paper
❑ glue
❑ poster board or stiff
paper (optional)
❑ camera (optional)
MAKE YOUR OWN DIORAMA
OR you can download Museum shoebox dioramas athttp://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/online_field_journal/
All the PLANTS inMuseum dioramas aremade using cotton, wax,paper, plastic, and sheetmetal—nothing is real.
� Asian Mammals(Compare theelephants herewith the Africanelephants.)
� North AmericanMammals
� Birds of theWorld
� The Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forestin the Hall of Biodiversity
Back at the Museum, artists:� make models to show how everything
will fit together and to figure out howthe front of the diorama can blendinto the background painting.
� paint the background, starting atthe top with the sky, and working down to the ground.
� create and place trees, leaves, plants,and vines, working from the back ofthe diorama to the front.
� put all the animals in place.
The team travels to the location.Everyone spends weeks collecting specimens; takingphotographs; making models, plastic molds, sketches,and paintings; and taking lots and lots of notes.
