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Exhibition captures drama of animal kingdom
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AN exhibition of African and North America animal specimens donated by philanthropist Kenneth Behring is underway at the Zhejiang Natural Museum through February 5.
Unlike other shows with specimens exhibited in sterile glass cases, organizers have created simulated geological environments that depict the specimens in their nature habitats.
The exhibition area is divided into five parts, each representing a different geobiological zone.
The first section is devoted to African tropical rainforest specimens, which enjoy an abundance of light, heat and rainfall. The lush vegetation found year round in this environment offers ample food and plenty of cover for animals.
Okapi, African golden cat, chimpanzee and mandrill specimens are arranged amid thriving tropical vegetation, and shown in naturalist poses.
For example, mandrills commune in large, stable groups which can number in the hundreds. They usually live in gallery forests adjacent to savannas, as well as rocky forests. In the exhibition, two mandrills are posed on a rock as though they are engaged in some cooperative behavior.
The exhibition also provides visitors with a chance to get a close look at some endangered mammals.
The African golden cat is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species, which is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. Due to deforestation and bushmeat hunting, their number declines each day.
The exhibition’s second part displays the dry season on the African continent, particularly in the tropical and subtropical grasslands.
Staying alive
This season, marked by dried watering holes and rivers, is a particularly threatening time for many of the continent’s animals.
The savannas of Africa, including the Serengeti, famous for its wildlife, are typical of tropical and subtropical grasslands. Common animals include ostriches, warthogs, klipspringers, giraffes, Cape baboons and impalas.
Warthogs can live in high-temperature environments without water for months because their bodies can store moisture like camels. They also head to marshes where they coat themselves in mud to lower their body temperature and protect against parasites. Such behaviors are recreated in this area.
Organizers also showcase other adaptive traits of African animals to survive in their hostile environment.
For instance, impalas are a major prey source for carnivores like leopards and lions. However, this species of antelope can leap up to 10 meters to evade predators. The species’ jumping skills are brought to life
in the exhibition.
Savannas are characterized by seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to a rainy season. During this time, fresh water quality improves and vegetation grows substantially. Rivers overflow their banks, and some animals retreat to the grasslands. This is the focus of the third area of the exhibition.
Mammals also have survival strategies for the wet season. Herbivores, like the exhibited zebras and African buffalos, live in groups to perceive and defend against predators. Other animals, like the honey badger, flee to underground caverns.
Though the exhibition is too small to display a whole herd of zebras, buffaloes or elephants, it uses vivid backdrops to present prairie vistas. To make the scenes authentic, organizers even added fake dung.
Wild America
The fourth section of the exhibition showcases the forests of North America, which are composed mainly of coniferous trees and cold-temperature zonal vegetation.
The single dominant vegetation creates a fragile ecological environment and supports a small number of species. Nonetheless, many large mammals live in this zone and they have developed the ability to resist cold and hypoxia.
The highlight of this section is the beaver, which has been called “nature’s hydraulic engineer.” Here there’s a display of beavers nesting along a river. They use trunks, stones and clay to build nests, which usually sit in the middle of ponds and feature two layers. The upper layer is used as living space, while the lower layer serves as a place to store food.
Another mammal sure to get attention is the moose. Though an entire moose specimen is not shown, a head mounted on the wall indicates just how big these massive animals can get.
The northernmost part of North America is zoned as tundra — the subject of the final section — where tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. Dwarf shrubs, sedges, grasses, mosses and lichens compose the vegetation. Scattered trees grow in some tundra regions. Native animal species here include reindeers, muskox, snowy owls, skunk bears, and polar bears.
Date: Through February 5, closed on Mondays
Address: No. 6, West Lake Cultural Square
Admission: Free
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