Blue Planet Journey

  The dioramas at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science focus on the taxidermy mounts and on the manufactured and painted habitats. But there is also behavior featured. Predation is an ecological process that results in a +/- situation. One individual gets a net benefit, and the other receives a net loss. Think of the situation in the photo above. The mountain lion and her cub are receiving a benefit from the deer. The deer, on the other hand, is experiencing a loss. Predation is not limited to encounters that result in nature "red in tooth and claw."  Herbivory and parasitism also result in a +/-. But herbivory and parasitism don't catch an audience's attention like classical predation. Predatory behavior captures the "oohs" and "aahs." Here's what you'll find in the dioramas on the second and third floors of the DMNS. Arctic fox beginning a pounce to catch a rodent under the snow. A golden eagle brings a cottontail to the nest. Bald eag...

  Ivory-billed woodpecker, by John James Audubon .  Ivory-billed woodpeckers ( Campephilus principalis ) presumably are extinct. In this case, it's not local extinction, or gone from the wild but existing in captivity. Extinct means gone forever. The species probably was never especially abundant, and the need for large home ranges meant it occupied vast forested areas which were logged or otherwise cleared. Photo of live  ivory-billed woodpeckers ( Campephilus principalis ) in Singer Tract, Louisiana, 1935. Collectors were instrumental in removing the few remaining birds. As scarcity increased, so did demand, both commercially and in scientific circles. The race was on to collect the last few living woodpeckers. One of many drawers of ivory-billed woodpeckers at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) has its share, with some located in the Birds of North America wing of Standley Hall featuring endangered and ext...

One unique diorama at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is in the Australia/South Pacific Islands Hall.  The uniqueness is that I think this is the only diorama that has paintings of people in the background.  This diorama may be called "The 1982 Walkabout Feast"... at least there's a nearby plaque with that phrase. Or perhaps a dinner called a "walkabout feast" was used to generate funds for the renovation. Unclear. The phrase "walkabout feast" probably needs review . I found this reference : "‘Walkabout’ for many First Nations people is a contentious word and considered an archaic colonial term. Its use by non-Aboriginal people is considered inappropriate." There are 3 Indigenous Australians in the background, presumably hunting. There is no context given to indicate Indigenous Australians were involved this representation of their culture, nor is there reference to whether the background includes a depiction of sacred sites. The fl...