How Animals Adapt

Slide 1: How Animals Adapt Informal Learning Project: Exhibit Design by Nelly Aragon

Slide 2: Everyone’s a winner  An opportunity for learning, gets kids to the museum  Audience=K-8 ideally  Museum of Mann- could be in zoo, wild animal park, science center  Joined with curriculum kit for maximum impact  Appreciation of nature/wildlife, kids excited about science  Goes well with existing exhibit about man-kind’s adaptations

Slide 3: A: Posters in Entrance Two posters in the entryway explain how animals adapt either structurally or behaviorally. The possum does both with his tail for climbing, and plays dead as a protective behavior.

Slide 4: B: Hibernation Cave There is a small cave in the corner made from paper mache and plaster which shows this fake squirrel curled up for the winter (behind protective plastic). A speaker on the roof narrates information on why they hibernate and explains their lower heart rate and temperature endurance.

Slide 5: C: Chameleons Tank This tank is split into two sections with two different backgrounds and house two chameleons that adapt to the color on their side.

Slide 6: D. Fur from Arctic Fox This is a poster fixed above two samples of fox fur attached to table one. The fur samples are totally different colors although they come from the same fox because they died during different seasons.

Slide 7: E. Fish Tank with Sideways Fish Halibut This fish tank has a light and a back poster explaining how the halibut, it’s inhabitants, use the sandy ocean floor to hide in by sliding under it sideways.

Slide 8: F. Zebra Poster and Information This life-size photo of zebras is on the North wall and has glasses hanging next to it so that you can view it through the eyes of a lion.

Slide 9: G. Aye Aye looping video  http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Daubentonia_madagascariensis/Daubentonia_madaga Download+QuickTime+movie&host=68.7.223.254 This hanging television shows a looping video of how the amazing aye-aye uses his adaptive finger to capture his prey of tiny tree holes. ..Desktop ayeayemovie.mov

Slide 10: H: Giraffe Cutout and Funhouse Mirror This fun exhibit artifact is a large poster of a giraffe and a description of it’s adaptive features next to a funhouse mirror where you can see what you would look like if you were adapted to eat from tall trees also.

Slide 11: I: The Camouflage Game The following slides are pictures that are shown on an interactive touch screen game where you point to where the animal is hiding in its environment.

Slide 12: …Game continued

Slide 13: ….Game Continued

Slide 14: J: Bird Model in Floor Pond Hanging Sign explains how physical features like legs and beak are perfect for this bird’s lake environment.

Slide 15: K: Create an animal Contest  I live in a place where its very cold in the winter  There are a lot of trees where I live  I can see in the dark  I can run very fast Children take an entry slip with them at the end of the tour where they are given the above parameters and are instructed to draw an animal that would be physically adapted to the above stipulations.