Best natural history taxidermy dioramas

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Apparently this diorama was created when life of wild gorillas was completely unknown. Mr Akeley(?) wanted to show gorillas in life, but had a problem figuring out what they might do.

How so ?

I think the diorama isn't all that unrealistic and Akeley did famously study these animals in the wild, in fact he did not want to "collect" them at all and preferred watching them.

If you mean in the sense of the general public knowledge and view of the gorilla that was dominant at that time then yes I agree.

At the turn of and in the early 20th century there was both very little known about these great apes and a lot of it was erroneous bulls***.

For example, the idea that was then popular thanks to lies of big game hunters that gorillas were terrifyingly violent creatures and showed rapist type behaviour and instincts towards human women.

Incidentally Akeley felt very strongly about challenging / changing this false stereotype / narrative that existed about the gorilla during his lifetime.

 

[Pleistohorse]

I

@Pleistohorse
I used to have a very old issue of National Geographic magazine, with a poster of a huge mura l/ painting of prehistoric megafauna of Alaska from some museum in Alaska. It showed maybe 30 species and a couple of 100s of animals. There was a lot of cool scenes, which show prehistoric animals really well, like a scared mammoth running away from a scimitar cat, or a group of hungry-looking wolves watching cave lions at a kill.

I wonder if somebody can recognize the museum, the mural, who painted it and whether it still exists?

I know it. I have a book about the artist. I slightly (a very) less precise painting of a similar nature was done for Alaska Geographic. I have a print of that in my home.

 

[Pleistohorse]

I found it!

One of my favorite museum pieces: Pleistocene megafauna at University of Alaska Museum of the North painted by Jay Matternes (or should it go to the murals thread?).

February museum programs explore ice age Alaska

The photo above does not do it justice. It is incredible how lifelike are poses of extinct animals: a turning mammoth in the center in the far background, a scared mammoth cow to the right, interactions between the extinct muskoxen to the left, the dynamic between extinct cave lions and living wolves at the kill to the right etc.

Yep! Jay Matternes. I want to say it was originally painting for the Peabody Museum? Let’s research it.

 

[Pleistohorse]

I found it!

One of my favorite museum pieces: Pleistocene megafauna at University of Alaska Museum of the North painted by Jay Matternes (or should it go to the murals thread?).

February museum programs explore ice age Alaska

The photo above does not do it justice. It is incredible how lifelike are poses of extinct animals: a turning mammoth in the center in the far background, a scared mammoth cow to the right, interactions between the extinct muskoxen to the left, the dynamic between extinct cave lions and living wolves at the kill to the right etc.

It was painted for the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Smithsonian Museum Complex in Washington, D.C.

I do hold this painting responsible for my slight disappointment the first time I saw a wild Muskox. I thought they’d be bigger.

just kidding...I was thrilled.

Images posted online by Smithsonian Magazine.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

@German Zoo World Uploaded some great pictures of taxidermy dioramas at the natural history museum of Stuttgart today.

Bengal tiger diorama , I really like the way that the tiger looks to be viewing the visitors through the bamboo with predatory intent:

Bonobo diorama, the specimen looks in great shape despite the age :

African painted dog / lion / gemsbok diorama, really great looking scene of the aftermath of a kill:

The lion in this diorama looks like its trying to muscle in on the kill and chase the painted dogs away:

Quite an imposing African bush elephant specimen:

Giraffe specimen next to a cross section of a Redwood tree:

Alpine ibex and stone partridge diorama :

A rather melancholy looking polar bear in its diorama :

Gerenuk antelope and a bird (not sure what species this is ?) diorama:

Cape buffalo in African marshland diorama:

African antelope diorama :

Asiatic elephant calf and adult black rhino specimens :

Andean condor diorama:

Jaguar specimen that looks like its seen better days :

A rotund looking fennec fox specimen:

Interesting detail in a diorama of a Jerboa family in its burrow:

 

[Breckenridge]

I think the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has some great examples of an interactive, walkthrough museum diorama representing the environments of NC.

Photo credits to @nczoofan

I haven't been to the museum in two or three years, but I remember the taxidermy and dioramas being in good shape if in need of a dusting.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I think the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has some great examples of an interactive, walkthrough museum diorama representing the environments of NC.

Photo credits to @nczoofan

I haven't been to the museum in two or three years, but I remember the taxidermy and dioramas being in good shape if in need of a dusting.

Thanks for sharing @Breckenridge !

These look really beautiful dioramas indeed.

What is the mammal in the first picture ? is that a puma or a fox?

 

[Breckenridge]

Thanks for sharing @Breckenridge !

These look really beautiful dioramas indeed.

What is the mammal in the first picture ? is that a puma or a fox?

Looks like a Bobcat.

 

[nczoofan]

I think the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh has some great examples of an interactive, walkthrough museum diorama representing the environments of NC.

Photo credits to @nczoofan

I haven't been to the museum in two or three years, but I remember the taxidermy and dioramas being in good shape if in need of a dusting.

The dioramas are pretty great. Depicting nearly all of the major wildlife and landscapes of the state. One end of the room being the coastal plain of NC and as you move towards the other side of the the room you pass thru a longleaf pine forest, then a hardwood forest, before reaching the mountains section. The main mountains diorama abuts the larger diorama. And within the diorama are smaller tanks for a variety of live fish, amphibians, and reptiles.

 

[Breckenridge]

I also like how the NC Museum of Natural Sciences has a small collection of live animals. Native snakes, turtles, and amphibians, an insect zoo, and some small freshwater and saltwater aquariums. I even think a few of the exhibits are mixed in with the dioramas.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I also like how the NC Museum of Natural Sciences has a small collection of live animals. Native snakes, turtles, and amphibians, an insect zoo, and some small freshwater and saltwater aquariums. I even think a few of the exhibits are mixed in with the dioramas.

I really like when there are live displays of animals in Natural history museums, I think it makes all the difference and I wish there were more of these at these kinds of institutions.

 

[nczoofan]

I really like when there are live displays of animals in Natural history museums, I think it makes all the difference and I wish there were more of these at these kinds of institutions.

Probably about 200 species in the collection. More than 100 species of fish, 50 species of herp, and a large collection of insects. Plus a few mammals like sloth and tenrec. So a very nice collection for a museum.

They also have some online walkthroughs.

The Mountain Diorama Room: Explore NCMNS Mountain Cove in 3D

The Coastal Diorama Room: Explore NCMNS Coastal North Carolina in 3D

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Probably about 200 species in the collection. More than 100 species of fish, 50 species of herp, and a large collection of insects. Plus a few mammals like sloth and tenrec. So a very nice collection for a museum.

They also have some online walkthroughs.

The Mountain Diorama Room: Explore NCMNS Mountain Cove in 3D

The Coastal Diorama Room: Explore NCMNS Coastal North Carolina in 3D

Sounds very impressive indeed and particularly with the keeping of tenrecs and sloths which are such interesting animals to showcase for their unusual evolutionary history etc.

 

[German Zoo World]

I really like when there are live displays of animals in Natural history museums, I think it makes all the difference and I wish there were more of these at these kinds of institutions.

By the way they have a Tank with different insect Species at Stuttgart Natural History Museum

I have posted some Pictures in the Germany other gallery

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

By the way they have a Tank with different insect Species at Stuttgart Natural History Museum

I have posted some Pictures in the Germany other gallery

That is interesting, perhaps you could share in my other thread : Natural history museums with live animals

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Academy of Natural sciences, USA

Giant panda diorama:

Golden takin diorama:

Kiang diorama:

Yak diorama:

Cape buffalo diorama:

Aoudad diorama:

Alaskan brown bear diorama:

Caribou diorama:

Western lowland gorilla diorama:

Colobus monkey diorama:

Californian Academy of Sciences

Cheetah diorama:

Sable antelope diorama:

Nyala diorama:

Zebra diorama:

Photo credits to @Sarus Crane , @snowleopard , @geomorph.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Guanaco diorama:

Giant anteater diorama:

Waterbuck diorama:

Scarlett ibis diorama:

Red kangaroo diorama:

Rhea diorama:

Arctic wolf diorama:

Polar bear diorama:

Cheetah diorama:

Photo credits to @UngulateNerd92.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

LA natural history museum, USA

African elephant / waterhole diorama:

American bison diorama:

Jaguar and collared peccary diorama:

Arabian oryx diorama:

Greater kudu diorama:

African savanha diorama:

Black rhino diorama:

Houston museum of Natural History, USA

Lion predation diorama scene:

Scimitar horned oryx diorama:

Bern museum, Switzerland

Shoebill diorama:

Roan antelope diorama:

Northern and Southern white rhino:

Bonn natural history museum, Germany

Bushbuck specimen and diorama:

Photo credits to @snowleopard , @lintworm and @DavidBrown.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

International wildlife museum, USA

Many of the diorama backgrounds are not particularly good but seems to be great taxidermy in the modelling / mounting of the specimens.

Hyena vs lechwe diorama

Puma and pronghorn antelope diorama (not a great background but beautifully modelling specimens):

Bobcat hunting californian quail (crap painted background but beautifully modelling / mounted specimens):

Grey wolf attacking caribou (bad painted background but brilliantly modelling / mounted specimens):

Cape buffalo diorama

Lion diorama:

European moufflon:

Photo credits to @snowleopard.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

The zoochatter @Sarus Crane has some great videos that feature natural history taxidermy dioramas on his youtube channel, here are a couple of these for people to check out:

Academy of Natural Sciences:

Carnegie Museum of Natural History (African Hall & Bird Hall):

Harvard Museum of Natural History (African Hall):

American Museum of Natural History (Asian mammal hall):

View of "Siam" the elephant at the Musee Nationale D'Histoire Naturelle :