Web Hunt: Dioramas Coming to Life
Visit a few of the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History, and discover how each one is like a window into a specific time or place.
Stephen Quinn is the senior project manager of dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History. (Photo courtesy of AMNH)
The American Museum of Natural History may be located in New York City, but walk inside and you can travel across the planet or back in time. You can even connect with nature — in the middle of a city! You can visit these places through the museum’s lifelike dioramas, scenes with modeled figures and objects in realistic settings. Many dioramas show animals in their natural habitats — from giant squid in the deep ocean to dinosaurs in ancient forests. By sharing the wonder and importance of these habitats, nature dioramas can also encourage people to conserve these fragile areas. In the new Hall of Human Origins, diorama scenes show different periods in human history. Every diorama tells a story about a specific time and place, so each detail must be accurate. Explore some of the dioramas at the museum and discover some of the different stories they tell.
1. Over 100 years ago, pioneers crossing the wide, open plains of Wyoming would have seen herds of bison and pronghorn roaming together. Today, far fewer of these animals live in the American West. But in this diorama, you can look back in time as if you were a pioneer in 1865. Describe the landscape of this habitat. Then identify and describe two plants that are found here. (Click the links to the right to zoom in on specific animals and plants.) Next, listen to the audio tour about this diorama. If you visited this exact location today, would you see this same type of buffalo grass? Tell the story about the buffalo grass shown here.
2. This diorama takes you to Africa, where you can see mountain gorillas living in Zaire. To create this diorama, a team of artists and scientists traveled to this exact spot to capture what it looked like. Every detail is just as it appeared. For example, they were very careful to show which plants grew in this habitat. At the bottom of the page, read about the species included in the diorama. Name three kinds of plants found here. Next, listen to the video tour of this diorama. Explain the role that this diorama played in the conservation of mountain gorillas. Who is Carl Akeley?
3. The diorama of the Liaoning forest is another window back in time – but this one looks back 130 million years to an ancient forest in eastern Asia. First, click the audio button to listen to the soundscape of the forest. What sounds are familiar sounds that you might hear in a forest today? Next, read about the diorama. Describe the climate of the region at this time. Then identify two animals from the diorama that still live on Earth today, and two that are now extinct.
4. Some dioramas show how animals live together in their habitat. Check out the diorama of dolphins and tuna, and read the first two paragraphs. Describe what this diorama reveals about the yellowfin tuna’s relationship with the dolphins. Why are the red-footed boobies flying overhead?
5. Some dioramas recreate a scene that’s never actually been seen by humans — like this one of a battle between a sperm whale and a giant squid. What evidence have scientists found that this deep-ocean encounter actually happens? Explain what this diorama reveals about the two ocean giants. How do they compare in size? What physical features are they using in this underwater battle?
6. In the Museum’s new Hall of Human Origins, visitors can explore dioramas scenes of different periods in human history. Each diorama scene shows us a particular place and time, like this one of a Neanderthal campsite. In what modern-day country did this group of Neanderthals live? How long ago did they live? What do you notice about their weapons and clothing?
7. Each diorama scene in the Hall of Human Origins shows how humans have used materials from their environment. For example, people have used stones as tools and weapons and animal skin for clothing. Check out What’s This? to see a mystery photo of bones that were used to build an ice age hut. Can you guess what they are?
8. Now go behind the scenes to see how dioramas are created. The animals in the dioramas are mounted using taxidermy, a technique of preparing and displaying animal specimens so they look alive. Explain how Carl Ethan Akeley improved taxidermy. What did he do to make animal specimens appear more lifelike?
Bonus Round: Diorama Gallery
Check out the diorama gallery to see lots more animals and habitats. You’ll find two Alaska moose in battle, giraffe and other animals gathered around an African waterhole, and mountain goats scaling a cliff high above glaciers. Search for clues in the Web site to answer these questions:
The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest living reptile. What can you learn about it from this diorama? Does it eat plants or animals? What can we tell about the size of its prey?
What's the difference between the habitats and physical features of the jack rabbit and varying hare?
