"Extreme" is a word that launches the imagination to places it does not go on a daily basis...I think you'd agree (depending on your particular lineup of television programming, that is).
Throw in animals—and let's face it, everyone loves animals of some sort—and you've got a fascinating exhibition! All the better that it's at Fernbank Museum of Natural History—an exhibition titled, you guessed it, "Extreme Mammals."
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
The exhibition is laid out brilliantly, starting with a huge, 15-foot (model) Indricotherium, the largest mammal to ever walk the planet Earth—immediately around the corner of entering the exhibit.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
I was like, "Whoa!" I mean, take a look...I'm 6'2" and this guy (or girl, not sure) dwarfs me! I don't know how they do it, but every exhibition I've been to in this gallery over the last several years gives me that reaction. it's brilliant!
This gallery also houses the smallest ancient mammal ever found, which was so minuscule it weighed approximately the same as a dollar bill.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
Being a history museum, of course the exhibition is a learning experience—truthfully, I love that. This learning experience starts with helping people know how to identify mammals. Great for kids (and not a bad reminder for grown ups who's last science class was decades ago).
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
The exhibition is a brilliant combination of living and extinct animals, including humans. One part of the exhibition shows what features of the human body are considered "extreme"...fascinating! You may be surprised to find what is and what really isn't extreme about us.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
Extreme Mammals explores the "extremeness" of horns, tusks, noses, brains, body armor, tails...and more! The artifacts are beyond fascinating...I love the one above.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
I was actually surprised at how many of the animals looked like characters or creatures I've seen in Hollywood films. Really!
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
The exhibition doesn't stay on land. In fact, it very early on tells that the Blue Whale is the largest mammal to ever live—and it's alive today!
It also explains why...and it totally makes sense. The buoyancy of sea creatures has allowed them to evolve into larger animals, compared to land animals not being able to develop the legs to support the huge mass of large animals.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
And some of the animals are downright adorable!
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
"Extreme" came in so many forms...all of them fascinating.
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
Have you ever seen an animal and wondered, "What in the world happened in the history of this species to make it evolve that way?"
 |
Extreme Mammals,
Fernbank Museum of Natural History |
While I don't like to give away too much when posting about an exhibition that current, I will tell you that this extreme animal lived in paradise but the environment of this terrain is now itself extreme (look through the view finder at the display to see more).
There's much more to explore in Extreme Mammals...I encourage you to go sooner, rather than later. It's on display through August 18.
No comments:
Post a Comment