Cape Town Green Map Interns visit S.A Museum

If you want to learn more about the fauna and flora of South-Africa, the Iziko S.A Museum is a good address.

It is located at the top of the Company’s Garden. This museum is divided in multi-parts: reptiles, birds, marine animals there is also a section devoted to minerals and space. We found different species sometimes accompanied by a representation of their environment.

The website tells us “The South African Museum houses more than one and a half million specimens of scientific importance. The collections now range from fossils almost 700-million years old to insects and fish caught last week.”

So we began our visit with the reptiles.  I was not really excited to see them but Akshay loves this type of animal and we were so impressed by the realism of the representations. Akshay was excited – he claimed himself as a scientist.

During the visit you can find different explanations about each species.

The bird section is very big and we saw specimens of all the birds – it was very interesting.

In the mammals section we were impressed by the size of the animals but it was the same impression when we saw different species of whale that were suspended in the middle of the museum. You can also hear the whales’ sound.  What an experience!  They do a lot of noise but it’s a very beautiful sound. There is also a part devoted to the dinosaurs.  In this part there are fossils and 2 scientists who showed us how to prepare a fossil.

During the visit we were attracted by an exhibition of photographs – Oceans of Life. We understood how a photographer can be an artist! The exhibition consists of the top forty images from the 2015 Oceans of Life Photographic Competition, showcasing a variety of sea life, including seabirds, marine mammals, fish and benthic organisms.

We really enjoyed our afternoon at the museum. It was really interesting and also very fun. We stayed in the museum during 1 hour and 45 minutes and there was still lots to see and discover. This place is suitable for all ages.

WHERE: Iziko, South Africa Museum, 25 Queen Victoria St, Cape Town City Centre, Cape Town 8001