Reflection On A Field Trip To The Carnegie Museum

For the field trip assignment I visited the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In the museum there is the African Wildlife Hall that holds many different animals from different African ecosystems. I greatly enjoyed the experience of getting to explore and see the different organisms that live in Africa. The museum does a wonderful job of conserving the memory of the animals they have on display. Even though most of the animals are still living elsewhere in the world, it gives you a chance to see them in an example of their natural habitat. There are also a few examples of extinct animals on display in the museum. Carnegie Museum also has animals from the four major zones of Africa, which are the savanna, the rainforest, the mountains, and the desert. By having animals from each zone it gives a better example on the vast types of habituated areas on the African continent.

Some animals that are currently on display would include the giraffe, two species of zebra, African buffalo,

wildebeest, and warthogs. There are also a few extinct animals currently on display in the museum. The first animal I came across was the Giant Sable. The Giant Sable is a species of African antelope that are named for their horns that are about a foot longer than other Sables. Another species that is extinct is the Dodo bird that used to inhabit an island off of the coast of Madagascar about four hundred years ago. The third example of an extinct African animal on display was the Bluebuck, which is also another species of antelope. The Bluebuck has been extinct since the early eighteenth century due to European settlers hunting them a great deal in the seventeenth century.
Museums now have a good deal with conserving the lives of the animals they display even though they are no longer living. By displaying these animals it brings more knowledge about them to people who visit the museum and see the exhibits that are holding the animals. The way the exhibits are set up show exactly how the animals would behave in their natural habitat and what that habitat should look like. It gives a fantastic insight on how these animals truly live in Africa. Museums are able to educate people on animals so that it could make a real different in regards to ensuring the survival of many of the species on Earth. At this point there are many animals in danger of extinction and being given the knowledge that museums put out into society for us to gain allows us to make a bigger impact on whether or not these animals survive. Museums, zoos, and other organizations are doing more each year to raise more and extend more information to the public about what we can do to save the animals and their environments.
There is now so much more that people can do to help make a change in the world and to continue to help protect these animals. By making a difference in regards to climate change and ensuring that poaching laws are followed it gives us a chance to continue to have all of these animals walking around out there. Climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. Climate change has become a big issue in society and there are many things we can do to help like cutting down on our carbon footprint, using natural energy sources other than fossil fuels, and watching out for the emission of green house gasses into our atmosphere. As humans we are able to begin to make a better attempt at keeping our planet healthy. By picking up trash and recycling we are able to remove unneeded waster from the environment that may damage the ecosystem and affect our lives and the lives of the animals we share it with. We can also make a difference by using solar or wind energy to cut down on the natural gasses released back into the atmosphere. Those are just a few things we can do to help prevent climate change and help our planter, but there are still many more things we can do.
After doing this field trip report I am now thinking more about what I can personally do to help save these animals and our planet. Going through everyday life I never really think about how by using a plastic water bottle and then throwing it away instead of going and finding a recycling bin might affect our planet. And I’m sure many other people have similar moments. I never really think about how just by using a refillable water bottle I could be helping our planet a little bit at a time. Also by driving less and walking more I could help cut down on the emissions into the atmosphere from my own car, or even making sure that I turn out a light when I am done in a room to cut down on the waste of electricity. Knowing that just by me personally doing these easy things I could help cut down on what is causing climate change it is kind of amazing to think that such simple things could help save our planet.
Climate change is now having a large impact on certain species like polar bears and sharks. As the climates around the world continue to change water temperatures also change which the effects the migratory patterns of fish. Fish are the main food source for both sharks and polar bears, so if the fish leave were they normally go due to the temperature of the water not being was it used to be it then endangers the lives of these other animals. Another problem that would affect these animals is that the polar ice caps are melting. As this ice continues to melt it destroys the habitats of the polar bears. If there is no longer any ice then they will no longer have anywhere to live, which will cause them to slowly die off entirely. Sharks will be affected due to the change in sea level from the added water from the melting ice. As the ice melts it cause the water levels to rise closer to land, which will continue to bring sharks closer to land. The closer sharks get to land they enter an even more dangerous place for them.
Now that more and more sharks are approaching beaches were people are swimming, they run the risk of getting killed in order for the people on the beaches to be safe, but the problem with that is that sharks don’t know that people are just trying to enjoy a day at the beach. To the sharks they see a food source and they will attack it to survive. This is not something to be killed for, but in the summer months as more sharks migrate towards certain beaches they will be killed for behaving with their natural instincts to survive. There is more information about sharks being shared through shark week and other documentaries, books, and articles, but that hasn’t seemed to stop the killing of these creatures. And all of what is happening to these creatures goes back to climate change and how it is affecting their environments. If their environments temperature changes then their instincts will lead them to where the areas that are more suitable for them.
Over all I feel that my trip to the museum showed me a great deal about the lives of African mammals.

I was very impressed by how the exhibits were set up and gave a true insight on what the animals would actually be doing if there were still alive. There are many more things that can be learned about the different species on display at the museum and even more species in the world to know about. Visiting the museum was a very fun experience and I would go back to see what other animals may be added to the African Wildlife exhibit. I now feel as though the more information I know the more I can do to help and continue to save the animals that we have left on our planet. After seeing the animals that are now extinct, it is sad to think that there will now no longer be a way to even see one of these creatures out in the wild and that is a shame. Now knowing what I have learned from this experience I think I can put the knowledge to good use and help save more animals and the

environment.