Whispering Bones: exhibition at the National Museum in Kenya

The National Museum of Kenya is hosting the exhibition, ‘’Whispering Bones’’ of extinct and extant animals. Animals that no longer exist are extinct, and animal that are living are extant.

The study of fossils (the remains of animals and plants) indicates that life started on Earth at least 3,5000 million years ago. Colonisation of the land by vertebrates occurred about 250 million years ago. This was possible due to lungs for breathing air. Bones are often the only remains of animals.

The ‘’Whispering Bones’’ exhibition is about skeletons of animals that have a backbone (the vertebrates). The osteology section in the Zoology Department of the museum has a diverse range of skeletons, which include a whale, Kenya’s ‘’Big Five’’ animals (elephant, rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, and leopard), as well as endangered and rare species of animals.

The whale skeleton is the Sperm Whale, which has the largest brain of any animal. The Sperm Whale has 18-26 cone-shaped teeth on each side of its lower jaw, while the upper jaw has no teeth. The Sperm Whale is 8-20 times heavier than an elephant.

Another skeleton on display is the African Rock Python, Africa’s largest snake. The python can grow to almost five metres in length.

There is also the skeleton of the Leopard Tortoise, the skull of an elephant, a white rhinoceros, a lion, a hyena, and a leopard. In addition, there is a skull collection showing the horns of various antelopes, such as the oryx, eland, wildebeest, topi, and impala.

the bones of an African Rock Python

the skull of a lion

the skull of a leopard

the skull of a hyena

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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