Treasures of the Natural World, as told by our junior reporter...
Travelling the world and seeing exciting places, discovering new kinds of animals and plants, finding precious gems and minerals – it must’ve been so exciting for scientists like Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace (I learned about them at school). Today, I’m going on my own expedition to find new treasures. I didn’t even need to bring a pair of binoculars or wear khaki (or even spray on mosquito repellent – yay!). All I had to do is convince my mum and dad to take me to ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands…
Junior Explorer’s Log, Hour 1
I’ve finally arrived here at the Treasures of the Natural World exhibition. The crowd’s pretty big, but I don’t mind. The best part: I can explore the exhibition in costume! I think I’m going to pick the penguin costume (because… PENGUINS!). My first mission is to find a mummified cat, which was dug up in Egypt between 1900 and 1907 (I asked my mum if that’s when she was born. She didn’t look very happy). The Egyptians loved cats and even worshipped them! Back in those days, they would have offered it to the war goddess Bastet, who aside from looking like a cat, was also their protector. Creepy!
Junior Explorer’s Log, Hour 1.1
I’m at the second stop of the treasure trail now. I’m getting to know more about the great British naturalist and explorer Alfred Russell Wallace and what he discovered (and he discovered a lot of things!). There’s a cool map that tells us where to find these 18 hidden treasures. I can’t wait to find them all!
Junior Explorer’s Log, Hour 1.7
My next stop is the Dodo (it’s such a silly name!). Thanks to the arrival of humans on the island of Mauritius, the Dodo became extinct. I think that’s a bit sad. Although, I’m sure the fact that they would only lay one egg at a time didn’t help much either. Dodos are so rare that no full skeletons even exist anymore. But hey, I can see there’s a specimen of the Dodo’s leg and a cast of the mummified head and foot. They’re kinda weird.
Junior Explorer’s Log, Hour 2
I’m staring at the legendary Sabre-toothed cat, which my dad says is “legendary” (I googled that – it’s a good thing). They have these really long fang-looking teeth, which is how they got their name. I have to be careful, because this cat is known to pounce on large plant-eating mammals (thank goodness I love my burgers). I’m glad it’s still daytime because they only attack at night. And can you imagine – the species lived for 42 million years!
Note: I’m glad I wasn’t alive in the Americas over 12,000 years ago because if I was, well I probably wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.
Junior Explorer’s Log, Hour 2.2
It’s sad to think that so many animals are disappearing or are already extinct (just like the Dodo and the Sabre-toothed cat). And in Southeast Asia (where we live), the tigers and orangutans are “critically endangered”. This means if we’re not careful, they could go extinct too. I’m happy I get to make my own tiger and orangutan! It will remind me how important it is to protect their habitat.
If your budding explorers would like to make the same discoveries as Angelica, Treasures of the Natural World exhibition runs from 25 November 2017 until 29 April 2018 at ArtScience Museum, Marina Bay Sands. Go along and discover the world’s past secrets with handpicked treasures from the National History Museum of London.
For more information, please visit www.marinabaysands.com/museum/treasures.html
This post is sponsored by ArtScience Museum