Now this one’s WAY too big! Just kidding; obviously people would know that this is a magnified butterfly, but that’s not really clear with some of the oversized/undersized prehistoric animals.
Looks okay though. I would have liked its face and body to be a little more fuzzy, but knowing their track record with fuzz maybe that’s for the best. The chrysalis is a nice touch as well.
It would have been nice if they’d chosen a more endangered bug. Or even an arachnid like the gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula or the red widow, both critically endangered spiders. But of course, butterflies are a lot more charismatic than spiders, and people will choose the pretty pollinators over the spooky pest control if given the choice.
My favorite was the Alamosaurus, obviously. Seems they kept most of the good stuff at the front of the exibit, as the quality degraded as it went on. Especially with the mammals. I do appreciate that they gave a spotlight to some lesser-known animals, though.
Obviously this is an attraction for children and not meant to be too scientific but still... treating dinosaurs and animals in general as “for kids” is old-school thinking. Prehistory is for everyone and we shouldn’t be half-assing it anymore. Look at Blue Rhino Studios and even hobby model-makers like Bookrat on tumblr. Animal models don’t have to be bad.
