May 19, 2006

Hello from Ottawa: Fatal Attraction at the Canadian Museum of Nature

My day at the McGee’s Inn started early with a breakfast at 7:30 am. I plunked myself down at one of the two-seater tables in the large bay window which gave me a nice view out onto Daly Street. A women from Montreal, Claudine, here in Ottawa on a business trip sat down to the left of me and a nice couple from Syracuse, New York, chose the table to my right.

What’s always nice about bed and breakfasts is that people actually talk to one another and soon the four of us were wrapped up in a nice conversation. We discussed Montreal, Syracuse and Toronto, and the various festivals that are held in our respective home cities. I am planning to go to Montreal at the end of June, so Claudine gave me some insider information about her home town and we decided that we would connect during my stay in Montreal.

The Canadian Museum of Nature, adorned by tulips

After a delicious breakfast that featured a fruit cocktail, Eggs Florentine and homebaked croissants and muffins, I sat down for my interview with the Armstrong family who run the McGee’s Inn. They filled me in on what it is like for two couples - mother, father, son and daughter-in-law – to jointly run a bed and breakfast and they shared with me what motivated this decision in the first place.

At about 10 am I was ready for my next adventure: the Canadian Museum of Nature and its current Fatal Attraction exhibit. Ottawa is a city full of museums, and I had already seen two exhibits at the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography as well as a special exhibit and an IMAX movie at the Canadian Museum of Civilization yesterday. After an exploration of contemporary photography and antiquity I was going to explore the topics of nature and, more specifically, dating in the animal world.

Pre-historic creatures await you

But before I even began my tour of the Fatal Attraction exhibit, I was awestruck by the building when I drove up to it. On one of Ottawa’s leafy residential side streets there is this enormous castle-like building that rises up in front of you and I was fascinated by the physical structure of this historic building.

Highlights of the museums collections are housed in the distinctive Victoria Memorial Museum Building which dates back to 1912. It is an example of fine early 20th century architecture, built in a style that has been described as “Scottish baronial”. It was intended to mirror the Centre Block of Canada’s Parliament Buildings and indeed both buildings share similar stonework. In the past both buildings also had similar towers, but the Museum’s tower was removed years ago since its weight was too heavy for the foundation.

A model of the museum

Throughout its history the building has been altered significantly, but some of the original design is still visible in the Atrium. This magnificent space extends over four storeys above the ground floor and features skylights that provide natural lighting. A beautiful staircase rises and splits to reach the second level. The relatively austere Atrium highlights the two-storey tall stained-glass window in the Atrium as well as three intricate stained glass windows over nearby doors. Two big pre-historic flying reptiles, Pteranodons, are suspended from the ceiling and provide an imposing view.

The building has an interesting history: in 1916 it became the emergency headquarters for the Canadian government after a fire had destroyed the Parliament Buildings. Both the House of Commons and the Senate were located here for a time and Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier lay in state here after he had passed away. Finally in 1988 the Castle became the exclusive home of the Canadian Museum of Nature and at present a major renewal project is underway.

The amazing Atrium


In my case I was here to see a special internationally travelling exhibition entitled Fatal Attraction. Presented in English, French and Dutch, this exhibition was developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels together with the Musee Nationale d’Histoire naturelle in Paris and Naturalis, the National Museum of Natural History in Leiden in the Netherlands.

A mandrill in a seductive state

Fatal Attraction explores the language of love in the animal world. It is an interactive, light-hearted exhibition that focuses on courtship rituals in different species, including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and insects. The science of propagation is explored in a humorous way. 100 specimens from various European natural history collections provide an up-close look at the world of animal seduction.

All sorts of mating signals are explored since the animal world features a wide range of tactics to attract a mate: from songs, calls, positions, mimics, vibrations, light codes, bright or flashy colours, scents and even sounds that we humans are unable to detect. Many interactive displays allow you to push buttons to explore different mating calls, light or sound signals for animal species living on land and in the water.

A peacock tries to impress

The exhibition also reveals that sometimes mating is risky business – predators might also be attracted to animals who are trying to seduce their mates. Some of them even imitate courtship signals in order to catch their prey! Human courtship is explored in the fourth and final portion of the exhibition which makes you realize that we are not all that different from our animal cousins. Fatal Attraction will stay at the Canadian Museum of Nature until September 4, 2006 when it moves to the Biodome in Montreal.

On October 20, 2006, new permanent galleries will open on the west side of the Museum: the Mammal Gallery, Bird Gallery, Talisman Energy Fossil Gallery, and Discovery Zone with programming and high-definition nature movies. There will also be a travelling exhibition on Einstein. The east side of the Museum will then close to the public until 2009 for the installation of new galleries. Check out nature.ca to learn more about the Canadian Museum of Nature, its collections, special Web sites, and its Renewal project.

I had fun at the Canadian Museum of Nature exploring the world of animal seduction, and my next item on the agenda was an expoloration of Canadian nature: Gatineau Park, Ottawa’s nature playground…

Related Articles:
Hello from Ottawa - Overview of my first excursion to Ottawa's Tulip Festival
Hello from Ottawa - Arrival, two photo exhibitions and my own photo safari
Hello from Ottawa - Doubling up on antiquity at the Canadian Museum of Civlization
Hello from Ottawa - Sweetgrass Bistro: Aboriginal dining in the ByWard Market
Hello from Ottawa - The historic McGee's Inn: 2 couples embark on the adventure of joint B&B ownership
Hello from Ottawa - The Canadian Museum of Nature and Fatal Attraction: seduction in the animal world
Hello from Ottawa - Gatineau Park, Ottawa's nature playground
Hello from Ottawa - Major's Hill and a live TV interview
Hello from Ottawa - Bistro 115: Authentic French-Canadian cuisine in the ByWard Market
Hello from Ottawa - Historic transportation on the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield Steam Train
Hello from Ottawa - The Wakefield Mill Inn & Spa: from historic gristmill to upscale lodging, dining and pampering
Hello from Ottawa - Flower and dress design at the Casino du Lac-Leamy
Hello from Ottawa - The Flotilla - a parade of decorated boats - and an interview about the background of the Tulip Festival
Hello from Ottawa - Sheep shearing at the Canadian Agriculture Museum
Hello from Ottawa - Tractors, cows and small animals at the Canadian Agriculture Museum
Hello from Ottawa - My 2-day packed itinerary for Winterlude
Hello from Ottawa - First impressions and an overview
Hello from Ottawa - The Lord Elgin Hotel: a historic landmark in the heart of Ottawa
Hello from Ottawa - Fat Tuesday's and the Mardi Gras Experience in the ByWard Market
Hello from Ottawa - An early morning walk to Parliament Hill
Hello from Ottawa - Skating on the Rideau Canal, the World's Largest Skating Rink
Hello from Ottawa - Charity and hilarity: the 26th Annual Bedzz Races on Dow's Lake
Hello from Ottawa - Confederation Park and other Winterlude locations
Hello from Ottawa - Darcy McGee's: a historic Irish pub on Sparks Street
Hello from Ottawa - The Canadian War Museum and "Weapons of Mass Dissemination - The Propaganda of War"
Hello from Ottawa - The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography featuring Sunil Gupta and the challenges of immigration
An interview with Tourism Ottawa provides a great overview of this city
An interview about the ByWard Market, a prime entertainment and shopping area
An interview with the National Gallery of Canada
An interview with the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Helpful websites:

Ottawa Tourism: Ottawa's official tourism information
The ByWard Market Business Improvement Area
The National Capital Commission
The National Museum of Civilization
The National Gallery of Canada
The Canadian War Museum
The Canadian Museum of Nature
The Canadian Agriculture Museum

Useful books about Ottawa: