By Lindsay Bird
If you?re interested in seeing a liger, which is pretty much Napoleon Dynamite?s favorite animal, check out BYU?s Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.
Shasta, the liger, is one of the most popular attractions at the museum is the daughter an African lion and a Bengal tiger.
?We do have a liger and it?s been really popular ever since ?Napoleon Dynamite? came out,?? said Ryan Whittaker, a museum employee. ?We?ve also got a two-headed snake on display and an elephant that?s full size. It can be disassembled and put back together; which makes it one of a kind.?
Admission to the museum is free to the public. The museum offers weekday shows, including Monday night?s popular reptile show where anyone can ask questions, pet a reptile and have fun learning all about the cold-blooded animal. Other shows and exhibits include Animal Adaptations, Snakes, Pheasants and Waterfowl of the World and the current center exhibit, the African Elephant.
?The elephant was so lifelike,? said Jenna Rhames, a sophomore majoring in elementary education. ?I didn?t think it would be that big for some reason. It?s fun to look at all the different animals. It could definitely be a great, inexpensive date.?
John Jansen, a senior, has walked through the museum many times on the way to his art class, but never stopped before to look at what the museum has to offer.
?I?d seen all the cool animals and displays here before, but I never took the time looked at them,? Jansen said. ?So I?ve finally decided to check it out, and what they have is amazing.?
The museum has over 2.5 million specimens from all walks of animal and plant life. After walking up the stairs, away from the insect, duck and marine life displays, patrons will trace a faint smell of must and chemicals. On the second floor there are hundreds of stuffed, big game animals including big-horned rams, deer and antelope looming on the walls.
Hunting enthusiast Monte L. Bean donated the majority of the big game animals. All other specimens have been donated from various groups or individuals.
?I like the fact that they have so many exhibits that have been donated and preserved,? said Brian Miller, a junior majoring in business. ?It was wild; I didn?t know that there were so many animals there.?
The museum has attracted attention from grade-schoolers to college students. The museum hosts ?Saturday Safari? a class offered to young children every Saturday through the semester from 9:30 a.m. till noon.
This Saturday?s program is ?Funny Feet,? where children can examine all different types of animal feet. There is a fee of eight dollars per class and participants should be registered at least one week in advance.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum is located just west of Deseret Towers with parking available in the back.