PACIFIC SWELL TROPICAL ISLAND ANIMALS AND CULTURE IN FULL BLOOM AT LONG BEACH AQUARIUM.Byline: Theo Douglas Staff Writer LONG BEACH - Forced to close their popular Lorikeet lorikeet called also lories. See Trichoglossus spp. Forest aviary aviary Structure for keeping captive birds, usually spacious enough for the aviculturist to enter. Aviaries range from small enclosures to large flight cages 100 ft (30 m) or more long and up to 50 ft (15 m) high. Enclosures for birds that fly only little or weakly (e.g. because of a highly contagious bird disease, officials at the Aquarium of the Pacific The Aquarium of the Pacific is located in the city of Long Beach, California at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. The aquarium features a collection of over 12,500 animals representing almost 1,000 different species. didn't miss a beat. They quickly created Pacific Island Summer, an in-depth, multimedia look at the wildlife of the tropical Pacific. The program, which opened last weekend and runs through Sept. 1, features animal exhibits, musical and dance performances, educational workshops, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , and a 3-D film. ``It's a great opportunity to bring in some other island residents,'' Aquarium spokeswoman Cecile Fisher said. ``They won't be touch animals like the lorikeets, but they're definitely in close proximity to humans.'' The Lorikeet Forest, part of the Aquarium's South Pacific exhibit, will most likely be closed for the rest of the year, officials said. Instead, the space will be used to showcase other animals from the Pacific Islands. Working with area cultural groups, Aquarium officials will also present a variety of workshops on Pacific Island culture throughout the next three months. And they've redesigned the Aquarium visitors' map, turning it into an interactive guide with areas where children can collect colorful stamps of island icons like the tiki Tiki Tick of Dow Jones Industrial Average component issues. - a South Sea cultural idol - as they visit various exhibits. ``We're really trying to connect the cultural aspect of (the islands),'' Fisher said. ``We're doing that through the new (aquarium guide) as well as bringing island cultures into the aquarium.'' Workshops on the cultures of Fiji, Tahiti and Hawaii will show visitors how to make leis - fragrant flower necklaces - play konane (Hawaiian checkers) and dance the hula. A luau will take place July 11. Luau admission must be purchased separately, either in advance or at the door. (See accompanying box for more information.) ``This is something (where) visitors can get beyond the hula girl image, really get into the indigenous cultures of the islands,'' said Corin Ramos of Ramos Bissen, a public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most group specializing in Pacific Island and Asian cultures, which helped the Aquarium coordinate its new program. ``I would say this is going to be the most intensive, longest-running event of its kind dedicated to the Pacific Islands.'' Among the aquarium's newest residents are three rambunctious Prevost's squirrels, which boast distinctive black coats, red bellies and a pair of white racing stripes. Nearby is the binturong binturong see arctictisbinturong. , the world's only carnivore carnivore (kär`nəvôr'), term commonly applied to any animal whose diet consists wholly or largely of animal matter. In animal systematics it refers to members of the mammalian order Carnivora (see Chordata). with a prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to be able to grasp and/or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. , which functions like a fifth limb. It has a loping gait that is deceptively fast, bushy bush·y adj. bush·i·er, bush·i·est 1. Overgrown with bushes. 2. Thick and shaggy: a bushy head of hair. whiskers See metal whiskers. , an inquisitive nature - and it smells like buttered popcorn. ``Again, in keeping with our theme, he can be found in Malaysia, Burma and Sumatra,'' said Rob Mortensen, the Aquarium's animal husbandry animal husbandry, aspect of agriculture concerned with the care and breeding of domestic animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, hogs, and horses. Domestication of wild animal species was a crucial achievement in the prehistoric transition of human civilization from expert, as the creature scaled him for a reward of grapes. ``He can hang by that tail, and he uses it for balance in climbing.'' Eventual plans are to bring the squirrels and the binturong out on leashes so visitors can meet the animals up close while handlers discuss their behaviors and natural habitats. Other highlights include pademelons, small marsupial marsupial (märs  `pēəl), member of the order Marsupialia, or pouched mammals. relatives of the kangaroo native to New Guinea New Guinea (gĭn`ē), island, c.342,000 sq mi (885,780 sq km), SW Pacific, N of Australia; the world's second largest island after Greenland. , and coconut crabs from Guam that can grow to the size of dinner plates. ``Coconut crabs don't do much, but their main feature is they can crack coconuts with their claws,'' Mortensen said. ``They're interesting, too, because they need fresh water to hydrate hydrate (hī`drāt), chemical compound that contains water. A common hydrate is the familiar blue vitriol, a crystalline form of cupric sulfate. Chemically, it is cupric sulfate pentahydrate, CuSO4·5H2O. but salt water to breathe.'' The aquarium display will also explore how man and natural predators can change the world forever. The Island Invaders section showcases three creatures - the upside-down sea jelly, the brown tree snake brown tree snake see boigairregularis. and the green-and-black poison arrow frog - that have unleashed destruction on the same tropical Pacific regions that are home to animals like the Prevost's squirrel and the binturong. ``Whenever you introduce a species to an area where it's non-native, you're going to have a negative impact,'' said Perry Hampton, the Aquarium's director of animal husbandry. ``Sometimes this can be tracked; other times, it can't.'' In addition to the cultural workshops and live animal displays, the aquarium will screen ``AnimalVision 3-D,'' a film exploring the wildlife of the tropical Pacific. PACIFIC ISLAND SUMMER What: Ongoing examination of the animals and habitat of the tropical Pacific Islands with exhibits, workshops, performers, a 3-D film, and arts and crafts. Where: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach. When: Through Sept. 1. The Aquarium is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Tickets: $18.75 for adults, $14.95 for seniors, $9.95 for children ages 3 to 11; free for children under age 3. ``Island Invaders'' is included in basic admission price; admission to ``AnimalVision 3-D'' is $2.50. What else: Advance tickets for the July 11 luau are $85 per person; $80 per person for members. Tickets purchased the day of the event are $90 per person, including members; $750 for a table of 10. Information: (562) 590-3100; www.aquariumofpacific.org. For luau tickets, dial Ext. 0. 'AnimalVision' depicts peril and play As humans continue to expand into undeveloped areas of the world, their impact on the Earth's flora and fauna continues to carry negative consequences. Those problems - and possible solutions - will be presented in a 3-D film showing through Sept. 1 at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Part of the Aquarium's ``Pacific Island Summer'' exhibit, ``AnimalVision 3-D'' offers a fun but informative, animated, three-dimensional trek across the globe, showing animal and plant life from the icy Arctic to a colorful coral reef to the lush tropics tropics, also called tropical zone or torrid zone, all the land and water of the earth situated between the Tropic of Cancer at lat. 23 1-2°N and the Tropic of Capricorn at lat. 23 1-2°S. of Borneo. Admission to ``AnimalVision'' is $2.50 with aquarium admission. The film examines how humans engender habitat destruction, deforestation deforestation Process of clearing forests. Rates of deforestation are particularly high in the tropics, where the poor quality of the soil has led to the practice of routine clear-cutting to make new soil available for agricultural use. and global warming - and sometimes introduce non-native animals that may harm indigenous ones. ``It shows how lines from a trawler may wipe out the fish in that area, how global warming can destroy a polar bear's habitat, how deforestation can affect apes and monkeys,'' Aquarium spokeswoman Cecile Fisher said. The film was made by Belgium-based nWave Productions, and adapted specifically for the Aquarium. It offers some of the same kitschy romping that typically is associated with Disney-Pixar outings. Designed for all ages, ``AnimalVision'' shows apes playing ball with one another, and coral reef residents frolicking under the sea - engaged in behaviors not usually found in nature, but which are naturally fun. ``They don't talk, but they are animal characters. They have personalities,'' Fisher said. ``And they do things that aren't characteristic of the wild. You'll see the sea turtles playing with the sea jellies which isn't something they would normally do - they would eat the jellies. It does send home the message that they need their homes.'' Thanks to vivid 3-D, the message isn't sugar-coated but presented in a way that brings audiences closer to understanding the interaction between humans and animals. -T.D. CAPTION(S): 6 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) ON THE COVER: Aquarium of the Pacific animal husbandry expert Rob Mortensen checks out a Prevost's squirrel in the Pacific Island Summer exhibit. (2 -- color) This pademelon pademelon: see kangaroo. , a native of New Guinea, is a relative of the kangaroo. (3 -- color) Perhaps the exhibit's most unusual creature, this binturong enjoys a snack provided by Rob Mortensen. The binturong is the world's only carnivore with a prehensile tail that functions like a fifth limb. (4 -- color) A young Aquarium visitor learns the ancient art of weaving palm fronds into such useful items as hats and fans. (5 -- color) As this troupe illustrates, dancing serves as a form of communication as well as entertainment in the Pacific Islands. (6 -- color) This warrior helmet is among the cultural artifacts that embody the heritage of the Pacific Islands. Carl Hidalgo Hidalgo, state, Mexico Hidalgo (ēthäl`gō), state (1990 pop. 1,888,366), 8,058 sq mi (20,870 sq km), central Mexico. Pachuca de Soto is the capital. Box: (1) PACIFIC ISLAND SUMMER (see text) (2) 'AnimalVision' depicts peril and play (see text) |
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