Challenges Of Living In The Ocean

 The adaptations of organisms to living in water is explored through this space.

Lifting the flaps as noted above shows how each looks out of water.

Three models, each with a person beside it to show scale of the animals, are found here. The Blue Whale is huge compared to a human, the biggest animal on the planet.

The Colossal Squid is another giant, and one that is elusive and rarely seen, deep in the depths of the oceans.

The Whale Shark is the biggest fish there is, but a gentle animal by reputation.

A video display screen shows in high speed the process of putting the blue whale skeleton at the heart of this space together.

Moving around the skeleton reinforces how big it is. And this one isn't as big as the species gets.

A display case features a model, with the skeleton partially exposed to show how much blubber is involved in the animal. I'll continue with this series after the theme day.

The Depths Of The Ocean

 The vast majority of life on Earth is in the oceans, most of which we have yet to really explore.

Some of it looks ungainly and alien.

Water is plentiful on Earth, which could easily be called Water, since more of the surface is water as opposed to earth. But it's also found elsewhere in the solar system, from Mars to the Moon to comets.

Water on our planet keeps recycling itself, from solid to liquid to gas and back again.

An ancient deposit of water is held within this crystal, visible to the eye if one turns the display.

If all the salt in the water were diverted and spread over the land surface, it would be deep.

Gallery Perspectives

 Picking up where we left off yesterday with provincial and territorial birds, Saskatchewan has the Sharp Tailed Grouse, Yukon chose the Common Raven, and British Columbia has the Steller's Jay.

Nunavut selected the Ptarmigan, while Ontario chose the Common Loon.

Prince Edward Island features the Blue Jay, Nova Scotia chose the Osprey, and Quebec chose the Snowy Owl.

For Newfoundland and Labrador, it is the Atlantic Puffin. And for Manitoba, the Great Grey Owl.

Stepping out of the Bird Gallery and back into the Queens Lantern, I took this shot of stained glass.

I looked up for these shots.

The Lantern honours both Queen Victoria and her great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, who dedicated it in 2010.

The next gallery is the Water Gallery, and its centerpiece is the skeleton of a blue whale.

All life on earth finds its origins in water. Fossils of ancient life are preserved in rock like this.

The biggest animal on the planet feasts on very tiny organisms- the blue whale has a taste for krill.

Birds Of A Feather

 The display cases in the Bird Gallery are very well organized.

The provinces and territories of Canada each have an official bird, and they are displayed here. Alberta chose the Great Horned Owl. The Northwest Territories has the Gyrfalcon. New Brunswick selected the Black Capped Chickadee. We'll carry on here tomorrow.