Not only are youngsters (and adults) awed by the great variety of fossils and specimens in the South Carolina State Museum's major natural history exhibit Carolina Natural, some are getting into the act by "becoming" Palmetto State animals themselves.
Included with the skulls of millions-of-years-old whales and the extensive collections of butterflies and dragonflies are soft toys which enable young children to encounter in play frogs, bears or raccoons.
One of the most popular items is the turtle shell that kids can strap on their backs to imagine being a loggerhead turtle, which nests annually on South Carolina beaches.
According to Chief Curator of Natural History Jim Knight, this kind of play serves an educational purpose. "Anything that puts a small child in the place of an animal that may be in danger in the wild may help him or her form a kinship with that animal. It could even lead eventually to a career as a naturalist or conservationist. But in any case, it should at least create a sympathy for the creatures and a realization of the value of preservation of both the animal and its habitat."
The exhibit also points out the diversity of fauna in this state, says Knight. The examples of terrestrial snails in Carolina Natural represent more than 100 species of snails in South Carolina.
"People don't think of them much, but they're important in the food chain," says the curator. "They eat harmful molds and break down leaves, which releases their components back into the soil to increase the minerals in the ground. Some snails burrow, which oxygenizes the soil. Most people don't know what they do, but they're hugely important."
Also demonstrated in Carolina Natural is the extreme diversity of animal life that has dwelt in South Carolina in the past as well as in the present. From present-day sharks (there's a wall of fearsome-looking shark jaws from the waters of the state) to the fossilized teeth of the prehistoric giant white shark, and from the impressive collection of modern South Carolina birds' eggs to the gigantic antlers of the elk -- now extinct in the state, but which once called South Carolina home -- museum guests will be surprised at the richness of the Palmetto State's natural heritage.
There's a lot of new science in the exhibit, as well. It contains distributional records of a variety of animals such as beetles and dragonflies, plus the new fossil records emerging from "Camelot," a fossil-rich site in the Lowcountry that Knight and other paleontologists have been excavating for several years. On a recent Sunday Knight identified a new kind of fossil rodent that had previously only been known from Florida. "We've found three kinds of mice alone at Camelot, which says a lot more about the environment than extinct animals like camels because they are more indicative of the local habitat."
Also on view are very rare skulls of giant armadillos, tapirs, sabertooth cats and more. Some are original fossils and some are casts, which often represent the cooperation between museums. "If I needed a cast of a rare thing the Smithsonian had, for instance, they'd make it and send it down," says Knight. That's where the museum got its rhino tooth and dire wolf specimens. "These things highlight the relationship that museums have and what they do for each other to advance knowledge both within the museum and scientific communities, and in the public at large."
Some casts are purchased from specialty companies when other museums don't have the particular specimen being sought, Knight says.
All together, Carolina Natural is an amazing collection representing the richness and diversity of South Carolina's natural world. It's just part of the museum's present holdings, says Knight. And the curator looks forward to increasing those holdings as the future brings new surprises from the earth, skies and waters of the Palmetto State.
Carolina Natural can be seen in the State Museum's Palmetto Gallery through Sept. 8. For more information, contact Jim Knight at (803) 898-4921.
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South Carolina State Museum Chief Curator of Natural History Jim Knight examines the skull of a sabertooth cat that was found in a Lowcountry limestone quarry. The skull is approximately 400,000 to 450,000 years old. It is just one of many examples of South Carolina's natural heritage to be found in the State Museum's new exhibit Carolina Natural.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum.
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These beautiful sea shells can be seen through Sept. 8 as part of the South Carolina State Museum's exhibit Carolina Natural. The exhibit features many items from the State Museum's natural history collection which have never been on view before. It includes collections of butterflies, beetles and dragonflies, as well as shark jaws, rocks and minerals, taxidermy specimens and fossils, some of which are millions of years old.
Photo by Susan Dugan/courtesy S.C. State Museum.
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