How Would You Describe A Kangaroo?

Laura Reynolds
By Laura Reynolds Last edited 109 months ago
How Would You Describe A Kangaroo? ★★★★☆ 4
Captain Cook's attempt at describing the kangaroo - which he only discovered by accident during a shipwreck. The creature was so different to anything seen in Europe, it was often described in reference to the features of other animals.
Captain Cook's attempt at describing the kangaroo - which he only discovered by accident during a shipwreck. The creature was so different to anything seen in Europe, it was often described in reference to the features of other animals.
A collection of dinosaur toys shows the iconic way in which they are represented to us - yet tyrannosaurus is now thought to have been feathered.
A collection of dinosaur toys shows the iconic way in which they are represented to us - yet tyrannosaurus is now thought to have been feathered.
This knitted representation of the skin of the now-extinct thycaline (Tasmanian tiger) is by artist Ruth Marshall, who knits pelt specimens for museums. This is known as craftivism - raising awareness of serious subjects, such as extinction, through knitting.
This knitted representation of the skin of the now-extinct thycaline (Tasmanian tiger) is by artist Ruth Marshall, who knits pelt specimens for museums. This is known as craftivism - raising awareness of serious subjects, such as extinction, through knitting.
Taxidermy is an area in which representations of animals were often quite incorrect (and it seems the platypus was a repeat victim). Many taxidermists had never seen a live version of the animal in question, and were working merely on skins brought back from expeditions abroad. Horniman Museum's famously overstuffed walrus is an example of this.
Taxidermy is an area in which representations of animals were often quite incorrect (and it seems the platypus was a repeat victim). Many taxidermists had never seen a live version of the animal in question, and were working merely on skins brought back from expeditions abroad. Horniman Museum's famously overstuffed walrus is an example of this.
A dragon? No, this is an engraving based on the body of a creature fisherman brought back from his travels. The actual creature was a ray, but it's been somewhat embellished.
A dragon? No, this is an engraving based on the body of a creature fisherman brought back from his travels. The actual creature was a ray, but it's been somewhat embellished.
A dried ray, which could be used to create the likeness of a dragon.
A dried ray, which could be used to create the likeness of a dragon.

Londonist Rating: ★★★★☆

If we now know that tyrannosaurus rex had feathers, why do modern day toys still portray it with scales? One of many questions thrown up by a visit to Strange Creatures, a new exhibition at Grant Museum.

The centrepiece is George Stubbs' painting of a kangaroo, the first known illustration of an Australian animal by a western painter. It's on loan from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, which bought it in 2013 to prevent it from leaving the UK. What's most impressive about the painting is that Stubbs had never seen a kangaroo in the flesh — his depiction is based entirely on notes and a sketch brought back from Captain Cook's exploration of Australia in 1770. Under the circumstances, Stubbs did a pretty decent job.

This, explains exhibition curator Jack Ashby, is the starting point of Strange Creatures — which uses art, taxidermy, and even toys to show the difficulties of portraying new species of animals to those who had never seen one — a zoological Chinese whispers, if you will.

A rhino wearing Warcraft-style armour, a lion with a human face and an elephant with a whole village of people on its back all come under scrutiny. If tomfoolery is your game, learn how sailors used to use dried-up ray bodies to trick the public into believing they had found a new species of dragon on their travels.

The issue of introducing a new species to the world is not a problem relegated to the pre-camera era. The exhibition covers right up to 2013, when the olinguito was discovered. The giving of soft toy olinguitos to journalists at the discovery press conference resulted in descriptions of the creature as a "bear-cat" and "teddy-bear like". Judge the accuracy of that description for yourself.

The exhibition is spread out among the regular exhibits of the Grant Museum, giving visitors a chance to ponder the many questions it raises as they go. In 200 years time, will people be laughing at the things we take for scientific fact today? A mixture of history, art and science makes Strange Creatures appealing to all — and a case full of dinosaur toys is bound to raise the interest of any budding young zoologist.

Grant Museum of Zoology and Strange Creatures are both free to visit, no booking required. Open Monday-Saturday, 1pm-5pm (closed 2-7 April), until 27 June.

Last Updated 19 March 2015

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