CoMC #2 - Blue Whale, Birds & Gift Shop
 

So, the next stop is the exciting Blue Whale, Marine & Reptile Gallery
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...n2_MuseWha.jpg

As you enter the large room, the bone theme is still present - you notice this if you look up to see several sea creatures' skeletons hanging from the ceiling. By the walls are a couple of replicas and parts of fishes, like sharks and those things that live so deep underwater you might never have known them.

Some of them even have names associated with the Wizarding world, like this big lizard, called Komodo Dragon. This gallery has more to offer, but don't worry, the class will get to them soon.


Maya kept walking and finally stopped to stand infront of what looked like a dried out fish with a thing poking out of it's head.
"What... is this?" She hoped to hear some fun answers. Unless everyone in this class was supersmart. Meh. "Give me your best guess." Come onnnnn.

Kita followed the Professor into the next room and gasped. Having a love for anything to do with water and animals that live underwater some of them, it was no wonder that she was totally in awe with the room she was in.

The Professor's voice brought her out of her reverie and she turned to look at the fish the Professor was pointing at. Slightly confused, she peered at the fish. Now what was the name of the fish...? "Is it a... piranha?" she asked. Surely it's that. Unless... Confused, she glared at the fish, trying to figure out what it is.

Sierra eyed a skeleton dangling from the ceiling. Whatever it used to be must have clearly run into a line of bad luck toward the end of its life. What fate! Now it was stuck here for eternity, dangling from the ceiling of a museum so the muggles could gawk over it and take a few non-moving pictures. Sierra rolled her eyes and moved on.

"Eww," she mumbled, making a face at whatever it was the professor was asking about. Saylen wanted to know what it was, hmm? "It's...the remains of someone's dinner," she answered.. "...from the year 1912, apparently." A few seconds later, she added, "...or a fungus fish. It looks like that, too."

Jacob followed the class into the next room. Man this place was huge... why was there so much natural history... there couldn't be that much history, let alone natural history, it was just impossible.

OOOH!... what is that? Oh and the Professor had the same question. "Ugly" That is.... what it be.

"And it looks like someone scared it to death" Its a face not even a mother could love.

Luin looked around as they moved on to an area that she found a bit more interesting. Marine life, it was always a mystery to her. She looked at the fish that the professor had pointed out. It looked....odd. Very odd. And that thing poking out of it's head, that looked quite out of place. She raised her hand, "Perhaps it is some kind of fish that scoops up little fish with that thing poking out of it's head and eats them. Like it's a hand or something?"

Oooh she knew this one. She lived near the Great Barrier Reef and she had seen plenty of them before. Mia raised her hand in the air. "I'm pretty sure it's called an Anglerfish. And the long thing growing out of its head apparently acts as a lure."

Kurumi looked at the fish and was suddenly reminded of a rather scary scene from a Disney film called Finding Nemo. "Professor...is that an anglerfish? The thing on the top of its head glows and acts as a lure for other fish....who act just like moths to a flame," she paused for a moment feeling sorry for the little fishes and wondering just how many this particular one had eaten before it had become a mummy. "...and it devours the fish attracted to the light."

Isabelle leant in to listen to what Maya was saying to her, a grin spreading across her face. "Haha, yes. I don't think the museum is ready for moving exhibits...of the non-electronic kind, do you?" She whispered the last part, just in case any muggles were listening to them.

OHHH, SHE KNEW THIS ONE!

Isabelle's inner student was bouncing up and down, waving her arm in the air in a 'pick me, pick me!' manner. Of course on the outside she merely observed the fish, eyes sparkling with the knowledge that she KNEW the answer. Heh. She was beginning to wish she was a student in the class.

As a couple of the kids responded with the right answer themselves, she sighed. She knew it too.

And then he has to be heroic, she thought to herself, I really need to find out why on Earth the sorting hat decided Slytherin for this gentle creature. "Don't ever be sorry about that," she whispered, "I'm not."

She saw that the groundskeeper was speaking to him, but couldn't hear anything. Oh, dear, she thought, Please let it turn out positive and not negative.


She giggled. "So not real! It's stuffed. It was once alive, but to preserve it so people can see it. It's called a polar bear and lives in the arctic." She smiled warmly at him. "And yes, badgers are mammals, too." She didn't want him to think she didn't hear the question...she hears everything he says and hangs on to every word.

Jaina saw that the professor was escorting them into the Marine Life and Reptile portion of the museum. This was her favorite part! "Professor, did you know that te blue whale is the largest mammal on earth? Do you know about how big the heart was? I find it truly fascinating that these gigantic gentle creatures live in our oceans." It was the truth. She absolutely loved marine mammals. So graceful and so beautiful.

"Sorry Professor. No, Professor. I'd like to stay here with the group, but i saw everyone walking around, and i was distracted by the giant-I mean, Polar Bear. This is my first trip out in muggle land, so I'm a little too excited to be here. I'll try to stay more on topic. Ummm, is it called a funny bone fish?"

Jaina knew the name of the fish, but she was busy having one of those moments where the name sat on the tip of her tongue and just wouldn't come out! "Professor, I think the fish is deep water fish and that extension coming out of the head is used to lure it's food close to it's mouth. Like it's own personal fishing pole!" Jaina loved this portion of the museum....she felt very calm and relaxed. She looked over at Ben and gave him a wink to let him know he was doing great at staying on topic.

This time Arya didn't linger as the class moved to another part of the museum. Head tilting to the side, she stared at the skeleton fish for a long time before responding. "It looks like that fish in Finding Nemo." She picked up a strand of hair and dangled it in front of her face. "The one with the glowy dangly thing."

How the firebolt was Benjamin a Slytherin?????

Charley pursed her lips. She had never paid much attention when her father had tried to teach them natural history, and now it came back to bite her. She was more relaxed, however, since Ben and Jaina were no longer in trouble. She listened quietly as Jaina gave her answer.
Aha!
Charley's hand quickly shot into the air. "An anglerfish, Professor?"

thanks you Ms Danridge in 4th grade biology "looks like an angler fish"

"YES! That's it! The angler fish!" Thank goodness Charley was there to get the name off of the tip of her tongue like that! She gave Charley a thankful hug. "Thank you!"

Perhaps she had noticed about the Saylen stuff? Hopefully. He wasn't going to mention it any further, though, he already said what needed to be said about it.

He smiled when she commented on a particular part of his answer. Why couldn't she just let things be? And since the Professor was all ears, he whispered back, "I didn't mean it so literally, smart Claw Ellie."



It scared him, truth be told, the smile! Because she wasn't smirking, she was smiling, which was something he'd never seen before. At least not when she looked at him.

Now he was suspicious.

And then she was taking it on Ellie! Tsk, tsk, Saylen...just tsk. He rolled his eyes, enough said.



"A fish," he said, oh-so-obviously, "Well, it used to be a fish, now...it kinda still is, but it's not." Get it? Ha.

But he decided to add a bit more, "If the glowing part of it is true, then that fish must have lived in the deepest part of the ocean, since there's very little light if not none, that way he'll have advantage over its dinner by attracting them....though, I assume he attracted bigger and scarier creatures as well," and he didn't want to think about what that fish could do to Barty, seriously, no.

"What's Finding Nemo?"

hearing some one ask bout the old cartoon "Nemo is a firsty that on his first field tripto the barrier reef and he goes out to far on a dare when the teacher tells them not too,and he get captured and has a big adventure looking to Mr Stryker and giving a wink

Kurumi half giggled half snorted when Michael explained who Nemo was. More specifically, she giggled at the lack of explaining that Nemo is a fish. She now had the image of a Hufflepuff first year with a Bubblehead Charm walking around the barrier reef listening to Professor Saylen who had half transfigured herself into a sea turtle.

"Nemo is also a clown fish," she nodded towards the Slytherin. You know, in case he had the same image in his head.

Emmy put her hand up again - suddenly she was very glad of all the time she'd spent in these halls.
"Professor? As far as I can tell, it's an Angler fish, probably preserved, but I'm not sure how..."
Okay, so she didn't know everything... Yet!

Arya was so distracted by her dangling hair that she almost missed the young boy's question. It was all the talk of Nemo that had her glancing away from the hair at at the other students as the explained who Nemo was. Grinning, she tucked the loose strand behind her ear.

If she was being super silly, she would have said that Nemo was the name of the little goat she played with in the animal collective. But not wanting to confuse the firstie even more, she just added the only bit of information that had been left out. "Finding Nemo is a movie."

looking over when Kurumi snorted,at least she got the joke " oh did i forget to say fish " with a grin :whistle:

Selina listened to the Professor and stayed close behind as to not get lost. When a boy began to talk about something called Nemo Selina was confused.

"Wait, that thing is a Nemo?" Kurumi clarified things clearer and Selina asked her friend, "Sorry, what's a Nemo or clown fish? Is it the light part of the creature?"