ew, this is an awkward sign. Scientific name misspelled, erratic capitalisation, words broken between lines, even at one point the & sign used instead of an actual word.
@Chlidonias
The capitalisation is consistent in its appearance at the start of each species name - whether this is correct or not is a whole other debate. And I can sort of see why they’ve capitalised “Government” - it could be seen as a proper noun. And there’s nothing wrong with an occasional ampersand! What I do find baffling here is the total lack of skill with which this information is delivered. It’s so meat and potatoes- here are some facts, bosh, job done. And how many Hamerton visitors will understand what a “folivore” is?
@sooty mangabey "possum" and "Possum" are both used. Speaking for myself, I certainly wouldn't use an ampersand in the middle of a sentence in the way it is used here - it simply doesn't belong there as a word replacement. My biggest issue with the sign (overlooking the hugely incorrect information on the introduction of possums to NZ) is the breaking of words between lines. It looks so ugly and amateurish.
@Chlidonias I’d agree - the whole thing is just slapdash and ugly. I spent today at London’s Natural History Museum, where the pedagogical signs are simply brilliant in their execution. This, sadly, is not.
The other photo of a sign of the same style (Grison Signage | ZooChat) interestingly doesn't have any word-breaks and it automatically looks better. The scientific name is still misspelled but I guess one can't have everything.
I have never heard the term "Fox Cuscus", and a google search just brings up other cuscus references. The capitalisation of 'Australian Marsupials' jumped out at me as being incorrect, and 'very varied' just grated with me ('quite varied' would sound better). I share Chlidonias' disdain at the ampersand use, and think the term 'joey' should replace 'baby'. In the Fast Facts box the word 'islands' is not aligned with the rest of the text.
Having said all that, this label is much better than many I've seen over the years and despite my comments, I'd only be grumbling if it was displayed in a zoo I was director of.
