One had the opportunity to visit the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) located at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. The NMNH is just an awe-inspiring structure that is not only large in scale, but also in wealth of collections from the oldest pre-historic dinosaurs, to extinct animals, different species of plants, as well as varieties of birds, insects, and fishes.
The structure of the museum itself is so vast that one was made aware that it could actually contain 18 football fields. There are different exhibits that were ongoing at the time of one’s visit and as disclosed from the information personnel, these exhibits could be viewed in distinct and separate locations. For instance, there was the Urban Bird Habitat exhibit that was located in the museum grounds which actually started in August of 2012 and runs indefinitely. Likewise, there were five exhibits in the ground floor of the museum such as the collections from World War II; the endangered Rhino; birds of D.C.; and the evolution trail. On the first floor, there were 12 currently running exhibits on: fossils, the African Elephant, the dinosaurs, marine life, to name a few. And on the second floor, information from the current exhibit desk revealed that there were 12 exhibits. One observed that most of these currently running exhibits are permanent in nature; meaning, they go on indefinitely and visitors could come it time and again to view them at the time and days that they prefer.
For the purpose of complying with the requirements of the course, one opted to visit and view the Titanoboa Monster Snake which started being exhibited on March of 2012 but runs only until January of 2013. Located in the second floor of the museum, the exhibit showcased the remarkable remains of a supposedly 65-million-year-old snake which, when measured, reached an astounding 48 feet long and supposedly, could have weighed as much as 2,500 pounds. As it was indicated from the exhibit and as noted appropriately, the remains of this gigantic snake had been uncovered by scientists and paleontologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, particularly headed by a certain Carlos Jaramillo. It was likewise revealed that from a Colombian coal mine, there were a wealth of different fossils that date almost right after the time of the dinosaurs where apparently, giant snakes also lived in the swampy shores of lush swampy jungles. It is within the coal mines that a fossil of the head of a giant snake was found. The scale and replica of the snake was reproduced and exhibited in the museum as a monumental and exceptionally large serpent, even larger than the anacondas. It was depicted swallowing a whole crocodile to represent the vicious image and the extent of appetite needed to ensure its regular conduct of daily activities.
Likewise, the exhibit also showcased other documentaries in the form of video shows that informs visitors on how the discovery went through; the making of the replica of the snake; the preview of the Titanoboa Monster Snake shown swimming in the murky swamp and devouring an unsuspecting crocodile; and another video comparing the snake to the T-Rex. According to the information revealed, these two predators lived in different time and spaces. It was also noted that the Titanoboa is about as heavy as three Eiffel Towers and could attack through constriction. Thus, visitors who were interested to know more about the discovery were equally amazed by the extent of the scale of this giant snake and wondered how it existed almost 60 million years ago.
Through this particular experience at the museum, one’s knowledge was greatly enhanced with the prospects that more new discoveries could be unearthed from the fossils that were apparently exhumed. The implications of this, as learned from the exhibit, include understanding how climate change and changes in the earth’s temperatures were instrumental and contributory to the death of several plants and animal species which could not live under extremely hot environments. Likewise, these scientists have indicated that discoveries such as this enables them to reflect and evaluate the extent of the natural environment that existed millions of years ago which enabled these gigantic species to survive.
The visit to the Smithsonian Institution's NMNH was very productive and informative. One would therefore look forward to returning on every possible occasion to visit other current and future exhibits to enhance one’s knowledge on man’s history, as well as the evolution of other living species that once ruled the Earth.
Work Cited
“Titanoboa: Monster Snake.” Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History
(NMNH). Washington, D.C. 2012.
