Close
of Jane Goodall Exhibit draws near at N.C. Museum of Natural
Sciences
Museum's newest traveling exhibit -- Discovering
Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall
runs through January 10, 2006
December 23, 2005
Calendar, education, entertainment, science
writers and editors.
Contact: Emelia
Cowans,
919.733.7450, ext. 305
(RALEIGH) --Time is running out to see Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall -- an exhibit that gives visitors an up-close look at Dr. Goodall's unparalleled study of behavioral science and natural history over the past 40 years. For instance, Dr. Goodall's earliest discovery -- that chimpanzees in the wild create and use tools -- was originally thought to be a uniquely human ability which forced the scientific community to rethink its distinction between humans and animals. Over the years, Goodall documented several startling similarities between humans and chimps, and recent testing has confirmed that chimpanzees share 98.6 percent of the same DNA.
Dr. Goodall's four decades of research and thought provoking ideas on chimpanzees and primates, allows visitors to step inside the African tropical forest of Gombe National Park. There, you will "meet" Goodall's now famous chimpanzee subjects, and get an up-close look at them as they fight, hunt, play and communicate with one another. Most importantly, you will see how Goodall's relationship with the chimps evolved from one of strictly scientific interest to one of devotion.
The exhibit is organized into four intriguing and educational sections:
- The Chimp Forest allows visitors to experience what its like to be a chimp in the Tanzanian jungle.
- The Work of Jane Goodall brings Dr. Goodall's 40 years of research alive through field notes, pictures and video and explores what inspired her firm commitment to chimpanzee survival.
- Primates explores the Order of Primates. You will learn about each of the 12 families of primates, their habitats and the threats to their survival.
- Reason for Hope demonstrates the successful initiatives of people who have taken action to deal with environmental and societal issues relevant to chimpanzee preservation.
Museum educators have added their own learning lab activities to the exhibit. "Hands and Feet" lets you compare your own hands and feet with casts of those from different apes and monkeys. "Family Tree" and "Kissing Cousins" take a closer look at skulls from apes and lower primates. Finally, "Grins and Grimaces" lets you compare chimpanzee facial expressions with your own -- while there are lots of differences, the similarities will surprise you.
Added Bonus
In case you missed him the first time, Lane
Batot, from the NC Zoo will be back at the Museum for the closing
week of Discovering
Chimpanzees during First Friday, January 6, 2006, to give
us more insight on chimpanzee behavior and entertaining anecdotes
about his summer in Africa with Jane Goodall. Batot graduated
from Western Carolina University in 1982 with degrees in Anthropology
and Biology and is currently a keeper at the Cypress Swamp
and Australia exhibits at the N.C. Zoo in Asheboro. His presentation
entitled, How I Spent my Summer Vacation-1983 will be held
at 5:30pm preceding the Natural Horror Picture Show, "King
Kong" at 7pm.
Discovering Chimpanzees is $6 for adults, $4 for children 5-11 and
seniors 60+, free for Friends. The exhibit is open Monday-Saturday
from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., with
last tickets sold at 4:00 p.m. The final day to see the exhibit
is Tuesday, January 10, 2006.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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