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GLORIA: Hi, I'm Gloria.
NICK: And I'm Nick. We'd like to welcome
you to the Smithsonian Institution's National
Museum of Natural History.
GLORIA: Since the Museum opened in 1910
more people have visited here than any other
Museum in the world.
NICK: It contains more than 126 million
specimens, artifacts, field notes and photographs.
GLORIA: Who do you think has to count them all?
NICK: Well I'm glad it's not me! You definitely
won't be able to see everything in one day.
GLORIA: We'll explore just a small part
of the Museum and see what your day here might
be like.
NICK: We'll also give you a few tips to
make the most of your visit.
GLORIA: Let's go take a look.
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NICK: There are two entrances to the Museum
and all bags are checked.
It's best to avoid bringing your backpack.
You can then FAST TRACK your entrance into
the Museum.
GLORIA: The Museum doesn't have any student
lockers. You'll need to leave your lunch and
any bags you don't want to carry on the bus,
but you're welcome to eat outside on the MALL.
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A great place to start is at the AFRICAN BUSH
ELEPHANT, which has been on display since
1959. It weighs eight tons - that's over 7,000
kilograms!
NICK: Your parents might even remember it
if they visited here on a school trip.
GLORIA: You are welcome to take photographs,
or to use video cameras to help you to remember
some of the cool exhibits that you will see.
NICK: The Museum has three floors, packed
with everything from butterflies to dinosaurs
and diamond dust older than our Solar System...
TOURIST: Is it always like this color? That's
really cool!
GLORIA: Let's take a look at one of the
world's most famous gemstones the HOPE DIAMOND.
It was found in the 17th Century and has had
an amazing history.
You'll find the HOPE DIAMOND in the GEOLOGY,
GEMS AND MINERALS HALL, well worth checking
out.
NICK: In 1958, the HOPE DIAMOND was sent
to the Museum through the Post, in a simple
brown paper parcel.
How do I know that?
It says so right here. You should check out
information panels like this one throughout
the Museum.
GLORIA: All of the gems belong to you.
NICK: Oh, so I can take them home?
GLORIA: Sorry, they have to stay here. You
have to share them with all the people of
the United States.
GUIDE: Well today we have here some raw
minerals and each of these is used in a product
that you've probably used in your daily life.
NICK: If you have any questions you will
find plenty of people who are happy to answer them.
If they don't know the answer they will find
someone who does!
GLORIA: You can't touch a lot of the exhibits,
but you can use interactive stations throughout
the Museum.
NICK: There are also live exhibits in the
Museum such as those in the ORKIN INSECT ZOO.
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GLORIA: The Museum isn't just a place where
people come to look at exhibits; it's also
home to many scientists conducting research
into the origin and history of Earth and other
planets, discovering and interpreting the
diversity and history of life on Earth, and
studying human diversity and culture change.
GLORIA: The Ocean covers more than two-thirds
of the planet. It is a global system, essential
to all life, including yours!
NICK: Meet PHOENIX, the largest inhabitant
of the Sant Ocean Hall.
GLORIA: PHOENIX is a full-scale model of
a living North Atlantic Right Whale that scientists
have been tracking since 1987.
NICK: Right Whales can weigh as much as
12 African Elephants and Whales are one of
the biggest animals that have ever lived!
GLORIA: There is so much to see and do in
the OCEAN HALL that you could spend your entire day here!
NICK: There's NEMO. I found NEMO.
GLORIA: What's this thing, it looks like
a dinosaur.
CAROLE: Well that's very good, it actual
is the dinosaur of fishes. This is called
a CELOCANT. And CELOCANTS were known for the
fossil record then thought to have gone extinct
about 65 million years ago along with the
dinosaurs. And then in 1938 a living CELOCANT
was found off the coast of South Africa so
for the marine world it was the equivalent
of finding a living TREX.
GLORIA: Wow!
GLORIA: In the Mammal Hall you'll see what
the earliest Mammals looked like and one particularly
important species, YOU!
NICK: The hall is full of amazing animals
from around the world in life poses.
I've always wondered how they are prepared
for display.
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NICK: We were just at the hall of mammals.
Everything looked incredibly life like, is
it all real?
PAUL: A part of it is real like the skin
of the animal is real, and after it's skinned
you treat it with chemicals so it's like leather.
But parts that aren't real is after the
skin is
tanned you have to create some kind of a form
for it or a mannequin. This is a commercial
form for a raccoon that's something that you
can buy and use for a mount. But other times
you make them yourself. This is for a bird.
And this is a homemade one. This is another
one that I've carved. And that's what's inside
this penguin. And so it goes like that. Other
parts that are not real are things like these
eyes like this is an eye for a wolf. And different
animals have different types of eyes. Compare
that to the eyes of the leopard.
So to answer your question, part of it is
real and part of it's not real.
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NICK: Wow, I'm exhausted!
GLORIA: Well I told you it was a big museum!
NICK: We didn't have enough time to look
at the DINOSAUR HALL, the 4.6 million year
old METEORITE or even the AFRICAN VOICE MARKET
PLACE where you can see toys children have
made from recycled materials.
GLORIA: There is plenty for you to see and
we're sure you'll enjoy your visit.
NICK: You're welcome to come back at any
time, and like all Smithsonian Museums entrance
is free.
GLORIA: Who knows maybe you'll want to
get a job here some day
NICK: Or become a volunteer.
GLORIA: Please check out the website to
discover much more about the Museum.
NICK: And you can even become a fan of the
Museum on Facebook!
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