A group of friends and I decided to take a trip to the museum of natural history. It had been a while since I visited. I would go often with my father up until I was 6, then these trips would be supplemented by motor cross rides and other sports. I have fond memories of the halls of animals placed with beautiful detail, the titanic fossil structures, and the overall beauty of the architecture. The marine biology section to my view is the must see of the museum, there is a sense upon entering that you have actually become submerged into the depths of the oceans. From the shore dwelling creatures on the upper levels of the sea floors to creatures that live in environments so entrenched and hostile with adaptations that amaze. My second favorite place to visit is the rooms filled to the ceiling with fossils and representations of the creatures that lived millions of year ago. These powerful gigantic species are an awakening to the fact that very little species last long on the earth. The environment changes more rapidly than species can evolve, and as humans have had an increasing presence our needs have come with a cost. The cost: the extinction of countless populations. Soon it would not be crazy to think that bears, giraffes, lions, jaguars, and many other species in the museum will be presented to our children’s children as extinct animals of our past generation. The founder of the museum, Roosevelt, was a key proponent to the erection of laws aimed to conserve the animals that humans tend to forget about in their urban dwellings or for money. With his guidance America has lush wildlife habitats that exist through the establishment of natural parks. So while my friends, visitors, and I roam the halls in admiration, we must not forget that many of these beautiful creatures, separated by panes of glass, exist among us and are constantly threatened by our actions.
Museum of Natural History
