The caracal leaps up. It pushes its hind legs against the ground and stretches out its forepaw to grab its prey. The francolin, a ground-dwelling bird, tries to escape. The caracal’s body is built for hunting; the francolin’s body is built for fleeing.
This exhibit opens the Form and Function exhibition as it expresses the fundamental idea behind the whole exhibition: how an animal’s form provides clues about its function (movement, nutrition, etc.), its habitat, and the changes it underwent during its evolution.
Caracal and FrancolinThe Steinhardt Museum of Natural History
The caracal is a predatory cat, while the francolin is a ground-dwelling bird. Both are vertebrates, with a common ancestor that had four limbs for movement; in other words, a tetrapod. But throughout their evolution they have changed and become very different from each other.
The caracal has four long, muscular legs that enable it to leap rapidly toward its prey, short jaws, and sharp teeth. The francolin has a pair of legs for running and a pair of wings for flying. Its long jaws are actually a toothless beak that reduces its weight and makes flying easier.
Caracal and FrancolinThe Steinhardt Museum of Natural History
The predator has a skull with teeth that are adapted to killing prey; the flying francolin has a beak, which is much lighter than a skull with teeth. Its wings are covered with feathers perfectly suited for flying: they have a thin, lightweight, durable structure that creates a large surface area that is strong and light.
Choosing this mise-en-scène of two animals enables us to capture a moment that combines imagination and reality. The visitors are obviously looking at stuffed animals; however, with a rapid movement of the eye, they can almost feel as if they are observing a real hunting moment.
