One of the city’s most iconic and shadowy spots received a facelift after more than two decades of excited kids trampling through its dark corners trying to catch glimpses of the tiny winged mammals carefully placed in its nooks and crannies.
The remodeled bat cave at the Royal Ontario Museum officially reopens Saturday after two months of renovations. The expanded exhibit offers some neat new features including animatronics and audio and visual displays. A pictorial look at the role bats have played in shaping aspects of culture from ancient times to current day comics and film is featured in the entrance.
“One of the things that was missing from the original bat cave was
video,” assistant curator Burton Lim told CityNews.ca. “At the beginning of the bat cave section we have video of
the different species of bats, so that gives you an idea of the
diversity you see in bats.” A video of a research expedition also plays at the end of the exhibit.
A new store has also been placed at the end of the exhibit selling bat-themed souvenirs and other animal novelties. March is Bat Month at the ROM, in honour of its new and improved gallery, and there will be weekend activities that include live demonstrations.
The eerie sounds of dripping water and bat wings flapping overhead remain to set the mood inside the 1,700 square foot exhibit, which is a replica of the St. Clair cave in Jamaica – a three kilometre grotto formed by an underground river that runs across the island.
ROM staff carefully constructed the more than 800 models placed inside the gallery.
The original exhibit opened in 1988 and quickly became one of the city's best-loved spots (the bat cave is referenced in some quirky moments in John Irving’s 2005 novel "Until I Find You").
The people behind the renovation worked with the information a ROM crew collected for the original design and recently traveled back to Jamaica to conduct further research.
Bat enthusiasts are now treated to even more information on the interesting animal, including what they do during the day (they groom) and how and what they eat -- most eat insects, some eat fruit, a small number eat meat and three species feed on blood.
Visitors can also have some fun trying to find the other creatures inside the cave including crickets, cockroaches, crabs, beetles and spiders.
Click here for more on the bat activities at the ROM
shawne.mckeown@citynews.rogers.com
Related:
The Local Tourist: Behind the Scenes at the ROM