I heard that the UMZC has some new exhibits open, so back I went! For the prior posts see here (mammals/basement) and here (everything else). Another photo tour! There’s a special (art) exhibit, too, so stick around to the end.
All images can be clicked to mu-zoom in on them.
Stomach-Churning Rating: 3/10 mainly skeletons, some preserved critters in jars.
The first new section is an elaborated display on reptiles.
Clevosaurus, a Triassic relative of the living tuatara reptile, Sphenodon. Nice fossil hindlimbs!
Tuataras (Sphenodon), skeletal and preserved.
Tuatara embryos!
Nice chameleon mount w/tongue extended.
Thorny devil (Moloch), de-thorned and in the flesh.
Skull (cast) of Ninjemys, the giant turtle.
Pipe snakes! Snakes with vestigial hindlegs.
Istiodactylus pterosaur snout-tip (real fossil) from the Isle of Wight, UK. Nice 3D fossil.
The gharial (Gavialis), male with protuberance on snout (mating-related).
I dub thee Dinosaur Corner! For dinosaurs, the Sedgwick Museum across the street (also free; also classic and awesome) is the place to go but this corner does a good job fighting for the scientific conclusion that birds are dinosaurs.
And now a change of pace. On to the special exhibit!
A nice surprise to see naturalist superstar Jonathan Kingdon‘s scientific illustrations and nature-inspired artwork displayed here. I’ve added photos of ones I liked the most.
As the caption explains, Kingdon used art to explain the value of nature; via realistic images of life, dissections, and creative abstractions drawn from them.
Hammerhead bats: even freakier when skinned.
Begone if ye find not joy in aardvarks!
White-toothed shrew looking extra-ghoulish with flensed face.
Skinned sengis in action.
More sengis (elephant shrews); with a note explaining that they are not rodents/insectivores but afrotheres, cousins of aardvarks, elephants and kin.
Bronze Jackson’s chameleon bust.
Asian barbet faces: this was fascinating. Kingdon used the paintings to explain how barbet faces vary across species as recognition devices to aid in territorial defense, especially of their nest-holes in trees, in which they face outwards to display their coloured faces. The middle image shows one lone species that has no such territorial competitors and has evolved back into brown colour, perhaps due to relaxed selective pressure for colour. Neat!
Oh my, this took my breath away! Mixed media depicting the varied forms of facial ornaments in vultures; soft tissues used in communcation. And here mounted on a butcher’s rack. Do vulture bits mimic their grisly food?
What's In John's Freezer? 
Great stuff. Thanks as usual. Keep em coming.
Every thing nicely exhibited.Do you have articulated skeleton of red panda.?Regards,B.M.AroraSent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
Hi, sorry, no I don’t have one but the UMZC likely does.
Ninjemys does sneak in to that pic, but it mostly shows Niolamia. You meant to do that, right?
Huh. Odd. I must have been misled by the signage in that photo. But yes, sneaky Ninjemys is only peeking in there underneath Niolamia– thanks!
[…] on this blog: my first visit to the renovated exhibits and building were followed by a second, and then a third! Click those links to see the new-new-new UMZC. We’re lucky to have it in […]