Running head: A VISIT TO NATURE HISTORY MUSEUM OF LA 10
Abdulaziz Alrassi
California State University, San Bernardino
Date
A Visit to Nature History Museum of LA
Introduction
After visiting the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, I learned so many things concerning the animals that were there in the early days and how they looked like, as well as, how they lived . The Museum has a large paleontological collection that helped me develop a better understanding of the Earth’s biota. The Museum’s collection ranges from fossils to the modern organisms which are collected from the entire world, and it is therefore a good place to begin with when exploring on the paleontological exhibits and other historical items. During the visit at the Museum I learned of a few things that I never knew existed and other facts too that are new. In this article there are a lot of areas and information that are presented showing all the paleontological exhibits and other historical items.
Exhibit 1. The Gray Fox
The gray fox (Botanical name Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is one of the interesting exhibits I found at the museum. The exhibit on Fray Fox features 4 photographs indicating how the small American mammal survives in the wild. The photograph below (Image 1) shows a Gray Fox family in their burrow. It reflects the legacy of life by clear illustrations of how the Gray Fox adapts to the environment. From what I gathered, the animals are largely monogamous. The photograph shows an ideal family in their broken terrain habitat. Gray foxes opt to live in broken terrain and rocky areas in order to ease the process of making new homes.
An adult male is seen overlooking his family that is resting outside their den, probably to show gender roles in the social life of the gray fox. The female (much smaller than the male) lies next to their kit. The fresh soil dug in their burrow shows that their home may be new, indicating that the species may have moved in more than once. Gray foxes diet is comprised of vegetation, small mammals such as mice, and insects. The photograph captures an environment (San Gabriel Mountains, California) capable of meeting the species food needs. Green vegetation provides gray foxes with vegetation foods. Insects feeding on the vegetation are most likely part of the gray fox’s diets. Gray foxes are spread across central USA, Southern Eastern Canada, and Western Venezuela (Reid, 2016).
Information obtained from (Reid, 2016) indicates that one of the most peculiar traits of the gray fox is their ability to climb trees in order to evade predators. The strong claws used to dig and remove earth are used to climb trees. This makes them the only species of the dog family with the ability to climb trees. 
Image 1: Gray fox, Urocyon cinereoargenteus
2. Exhibit 2: Costume won by David. E. Llewelyn
Image 2 shows the costume worn by David. E. Llewellyn, an important figure in the 20th century America. Llewellyn (1874-1963) was born in Wales but later migrated to America with his father. The family bought land in San Francisco where his father started the Colombia Foundry. When his father died in 1883, the family moved to Los Angeles and founded the Llewellyn IronWorks in 1200 North Main. The company was successful I the production of steel, cranes, transmission towers and steel pipes. David Llewellyn was the CEO of the company u8ntil its merger with baker Iron Works to form the Consolidated Steel Company.
The exhibit reflects the legacy of life by focusing in one of the pioneers of steel industry in California. The costume is significant in reminding Californians about their heritage and industrial milestones that the state has undergone over the years. It also sheds light on the clothing technology used in the late 1800s. The color shades on the painting allows viewers to reflect on available clothing technologies in the past years. It may also be used to show how human beings adapted to changing weather in past years. The woolen parts of the costume suggest that people in those days had amassed technologies to protect them from extreme cold. The leather I the costume suggest that it may have been used by rich people who got their clothes customized by the cloth makers of those days.
Image 2: Costume won by David. E. Llewelyn
3. Exhibit 3: American Badger (Taxidea taxus )
Image 3 shows one of the exhibits at the museum illustrating the American badger (Taxidea taxus). These animals live in different habitats ranging from foothills, mountain meadows, deserts and plains. This image illustrates a couple from Mt. San Jacinto, near Banning, California According to Natural History Museum, Los Angeles (2017), the species are spread from southern Canada to Southern Mexico. They live in places where they can obtain rodents, lizards, bird’s eggs, and insects. They are majorly nocturnal mammals. They make homes by burrowing in the earth. Over the years, the animals have adapted different climatic changes. They are mostly active in summer but tend to be inactive in winter. They are not true hibernators and will come out of their dens on a warm winter day. Their average inactive time is 29 hours.
Image 3: American Badger (Taxidea taxus)
The exhibit (image 3) shows that the animals live do not live in clans, but they are rater solitary, preferring living with their mates during mating season. They depict how wild animals survive in the jungle and how they have adapted to survive in such environments. In the legacy of life, it is important to understand how species have evolved over time. It is likely that the American badger probably lived in other environments, but was most suited in few of paleoecological habitats.
Exhibit 4. Desert Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis)
Image 4: Desert Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis) 1
Image 4 represents the Desert Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis) found at the museum. Only a single exhibit is available at the museum. The exhibit is displayed on the ideal habitat for the species. They live in tunnels burrowed between rocks, firewood, and other protected areas. They are carnivorous animals. They normally come out at night to hunt for their prey mostly small insects and worms. They are important in legacy of life since we are able to understand how they have survived different ages to survive to date. Information obtained from Penn State University (2017) indicates that an abnormal life span of the species. The male have shorter life span than the female. Females
Desert Wolf Spiders represent a family of large spiders capable of biting humans when trapped under their skins. However, their venom is not poisonous to humans apart from a sharp pain and redness when bitten by one. Unlike other species of spiders that rely on their webs to catch their prey, desert wolf spiders rely on their good eyesight and ability to run over short distances to catch their prey (
Exhibit 5: Trinidad Chevron Tarantula Psalmopoeus Cambridgei
Image 5: Trinidad Chevron Tarantula (Psalmopoeus Cambridgei )
Exhibit 5 shows a species of spiders called Trinidad Chevron Tarantula ( Psalmopoeus Cambridgei). They are abundant in Trinidad. They are characterized by silky coat and bright orange stripes on their head and legs. It is an aggressive animal. While its venom is not life threatening, it causes swellings and pain once the victims bitten. They feed on small insects. This makes their choice of habitat to be rainforests where they build nest on coiled leaves. They also live in tall grasses. Their hiding is covered with a strong web. They hunt their prey at night.
Trinidad Chevron Tarantula is important when studying legacy of life since it allows us to understand the nature and life of spiders. They have withstood years of evolution and therefore key in studying how animals adapt to their environments. Additionally, their venom is used for medicinal purposes such as preparation of psalmotoxin, a drug used to treaty stroke patients.
In conclusion, the visit to Los Angeles Natural History Museum the was full of learning and exploration. The university offers everything a student needs to use to know about the historical life. All the exhibits at the university are well kept and preserved cleanly. I learnt that all the exhibits in many of the Museums are very important even though they look simple and old they can be used to study many things and even be used to change some things. People should take care of any fossils that they collect and maybe even take them to the nearest Museums. There should also be awareness of the special creatures that should be kept as exhibits too instead of just selling them or eating them.
References
Natural History Museum, Los Angeles,. (2017). Retrieved 13 March 2017, from https://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/north-american- mammals/badger
Penn State University,. (2017). Wolf Spiders (Department of Entomology). Department of Entomology (Penn State University). Retrieved 16 March 2017, from http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/wolf-spiders
Reid, R. (2017). natural history museum, los Angeles. Retrieved 13 March 2017, from https://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/north-american- mammals/gray-fox
