The Scene: The scene depicts three male Western Lowland Gorillas in a lush tropical central African forest. What has changed and why? The paper mache cast was gently freed—giving the taxidermist a strong, lightweight model of the gorilla’s body. "They're absolutely gorgeous!" "All the specimens came out.

Which animals and plants still exist? Are the animals real? For a better experience, click the icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.

But in fact entire ecosystems are on display. Most of our dioramas were created in the 1930s through the 1960s. What can dioramas tell us about habitats around the world? In the environment surrounding the takin, a "cute little white snail," Cathaica przewalskii, now makes its way through the forested mountain terrain. Not anymore. Dioramas featuring bison, musk-ox, bears, mountain sheep, and moose can be found on the first level in North American Hall. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University certainly has, and considered them deeply, and soon you will too. "They're golden!" Lauren Duguid, with the Academy’s exhibits department works on foliage in the takin diorama. By the end of the 1930s, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University had one of the finest arrays of lifelike animal dioramas in the country. Conservators, artists, taxidermists and other experts totally dismantled the Takin and Gorilla dioramas, then cleaned and renovated every inch of the beautiful animals, plants and paintings. Where it lives: Lowland tropical forests of central Africa, Average size: Male 300-600 pounds; Female 150-300 pounds, Lifespan: 16–35 years in wild, 50 years in captivity, It eats: Mostly fruit, leaves and other plant parts; some also dine on termites and other small insects. Check out this blog post, featuring a Q&A with Senior Director of Exhibits and Public Spaces Jennifer Sontchi about dioramas. Detail of small snail – and snail trail. Staff photographer Tom Gralish followed the restoration process for several months. Our dioramas are highly accurate depictions of real places in the world. These are plants (and other small creatures, like birds and insects) that did not even warrant mention in the old dioramas.

Females and young seem to climb trees more often than males. said Sontchi. There are 37 dioramas in the Academy, the majority of which were created between the 1930s and 1950s. A model of an unidentified plant with dull berries turns out to represent the Marble Berry Plant famous for its sparkling blue berries, which are among the brightest biological substances in nature. “Like the American Museum of Natural History, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University has some of the finest natural history museum dioramas in existence. The restoration team decided it would make no sense to replace an incorrect butterfly with another incorrect butterfly. Photographs were taken and drawings were made so that the area, whether it be in Africa, Asia, North America, could be reconstructed as close to the original scene as possible. Phone: (215) 299-1000, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Explore his photo essay here.

What makes the diorama paintings look 3D? The before and after of the pelts and skins and eyes was unbelievable.". Collected: Brooke Dolan II of the Dolan West China Expedition, 1931-32, The Scene: In the moody scene, four takins are grazing in a misty cloud forest surrounded by lush rhododendron, orchid, spruce and fern plants. Related stories. In 2018, two of the oldest dioramas were totally renovated in a monthslong project that captivated museum guests, who watched the … "It's a little, low ground plant with clusters of blue glassy shiny berries," said Sontchi. An African giant swallowtail butterfly (right) inside the gorilla diorama at the Academy of Natural Sciences. "The display is about the lowland rain forest and place, not just one animal," she said. What are the animals stuffed with? The real animals were collected and taken to Philadelphia where they were preserved by taxidermy. Some species, which academy scientists pointed out were not part of the actual native habitats, have been swapped out by restorers.

Some of the rocks or soil in the scenes may be from the original site, but most of the plants were painstakingly handmade by artists. But others were, in a sense, discovered beneath decades of dust and grime. Also note the newly bright blue berries. When the digital labels and interpretive materials are installed later this fall, the gorilla display, for example, will still feature those extraordinary creatures. On Thursday, the enormous glass fronts of the takin and gorilla display cases will be hoisted back into place, and after some additional repair work is done to the area around them, the refreshed and resplendent dioramas will reopen for up-close viewing sometime late this month. How do you know what the scene looked like when the animals were collected? A diorama featuring the extinct passenger pigeon is located on the third level. In the lowland gorilla display two enormous African land snails, as big as a mouse, now ooze their way along the forest floor. For many, dioramas provided the only opportunity to experience distant places and exotic wildlife. In 2018, two of the oldest dioramas were totally renovated in a monthslong project that captivated museum guests, who watched the action unfold every time they visited. Collected: George Vanderbilt Expedition in 1934 to what is now the Central African Republic. At an early meeting of the restoration team, said Sontchi, someone "asked if there were any snails" — a logical question since snails are everywhere in the takin and gorilla real-life environments.

They now sparkle intensely from the forest floor. Every Thursday, we'll send you ways to help you live better and stay connected while we’re social distancing.

In that context, the marble berry plant resting anonymously in the gorilla display proved a revelation. The Academy’s dioramas depicting scientifically accurate animal habitat scenes around the world have captivated generations of visitors for decades. ©2018 The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University | 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103      Gorillas don't exist in isolation. They sleep at night. Behavior: Gorillas spend most of their time on the ground but will climb trees to forage for food, rest and sleep. Thank you! Those records are in our archives. A butterfly resting on a leaf in the same display has also been reconsidered and removed. Amazing, amazing work.". Artists will give them a good touch-up. "The taxidermy was a major surprise. They're absolutely gorgeous!". "It is one of the brightest colors in nature." Check out this blog post, featuring a Q&A with Senior Director of Exhibits and Public Spaces Jennifer Sontchi about dioramas. Behavior: Sichuan takins are gregarious and live in herds, which is relatively uncommon for forest-dwelling ungulates. The skin was then carefully removed and sent to a taxidermist’s studio. Phone: (215) 299-1000, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Want to learn more? On all of the expeditions that were commissioned to assemble material for the dioramas, artists and naturalists kept very careful records of what they found. The cases had been sealed for 80 years before restoration began in February. But the academy's marble berries were more dull gray than intense blue. He modeled the takin pelts on the originals in storage at the academy, which are unaltered by UV light damage and grime. When an Academy botanist compared the plant models in the diorama with notes in the archives, he found that two types of fern did not belong there. The animals in them lived about 90 years ago in the real-life scene depicted. Scientific Name: Budorcas taxicolor tibetana, Where it lives: Forested valleys to rocky, grass covered alpine zones in west-central China, Average size: Male 660–770 pounds; Female 528–616 pounds, Lifespan: 16–18 years in wild, 20 years in captivity. Each day they build sleeping nests out of tree branches and foliage, either on the ground or sometimes in a tree. Body language and displays such as threatening postures are important for communication among groups. "The takin — the restoration of these animals was amazing," said Sontchi. Taxidermist George Dante worked on the specimens. In addition to being cleaned and rejuvenated, the environments within the dioramas will have some original errors corrected and some additions — like glistening snails — situated for verisimilitude.

"They lay a large slime trail," said Sontchi. George Dante, a master taxidermist and founder of Wildlife Preservations, in West Paterson, N.J working this summer on one of the Academy of Natural Science's gorillas. At the same time, the academy realized that the exhibits may have been conceived to show off star animals, like gorillas.

Role in Ecosystem: Potential predators are the Asiatic back bear, common leopard, and wolf. An improper orchid has been replaced in the gorilla display. In order to convey a vast landscape in a very small space, artists had to create the illusion of great depth and elevation. What of the main animals on display, the takin and the gorillas? "It was a beautiful butterfly, but it was totally the wrong butterfly," said Sontchi. Despite the advent of television and the Internet, dioramas' magic has remained intact; they still provide an excellent opportunity to experience these magnificent animals up close. Thank you!

© 2020 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC Terms of Use/Privacy Policy. Based on the field measurements and the gorilla’s own skeleton,the taxidermist sculpted a a clay figureof the original 550-pound gorilla.Plaster was applied over the clay in large sections (called a mold) and the clay was discarded. Here is some background to help you understand what the dioramas are all about. Flora in the cases has also come under scrutiny.

The artists relied on detailed notes and photographs made by the original expedition. African animals such as the lion, zebra, opaki, gorilla, and antelope, and Asian animals, including the tiger, kiang, panda, and yak are located in African and Asian Halls on the second level.

Consider the snail, glistening with slime.

Scrapbooks were made of the individual plants that were identified.

The Academy’s dioramas depicting scientifically accurate animal habitat scenes around the world have captivated generations of visitors for decades. Before restoration, the takin were gray.