Shouroom

The Biological Museum consists of a large Showroom and 2 outdoor built-in Showcases and a Taxidemic Restoration Laboratory.
Exhibits for the Showroom were made by taxidermists of E.F. Rodionov, Z.T. Sredinina, B.P. Zhuiko, S. Kokotkin, S. Shevyakov and the design was led by «Kazakhstannin Enbek Sinirgen Kairatkeri» (Kazakhstan’s Honored Worker), Academician of the Art Academy and the Academy of Natural Sciences K.V. Mullashev and artists T. Iskhakov, V. Egorov, I. Agapov, A. Utkin, and M.P. Kim et al. [1].
The Demonstration Hall consists of 3 sections, where the biological material is systematized by thematic focus (base was the main disciplines of biological science). The demonstration by diorama shows and ecological-landscape method according to the regional principle allowed us to present the training material in the following thematic sections:
I. Biodiversity of Biotopes, Ecosystems and Natural Areas of Kazakhstan;
II. Evolution of Organic World;
III. Ecology and Nature Conservation.

I. Biodiversity of Biotopes, Ecosystems and Natural Areas of Kazakhstan
This section occupies two sections in which biodiversity, ecosystems and natural areas of Kazakhstan are represented in spectacular dioramas, stands and maps (fig. 7,8). In 14 large dioramas, the biodiversity of Kazakhstan's biotopes is shown: «Clay Desert», «Sand Desert», «Tugai», «Reed Thickets», «Feather Grass Steppe», «Lowlands», «Alpine Meadows», «Foothills», «Mixed Forest», and etc. There are also 9 small dioramas, 3 open large dioramas, 9 maps, 51 tables and a panel depicting the flight of waterfowl. The maps show the seasonal migration of saigas and the most important paths of the autumn-spring flight of waterfowl of Kazakhstan [1].
In the Hall, effigies of 138 bird species from 19 orders and 47 families (total number 278) are exhibited, of which 27 are species that are included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Kazakhstan Red Book. Mammals in the Museum are represented by 56 species from 8 orders and 20 families (total number 91), of which 13 species are listed in the IUCN and the Red Book of Kazakhstan. In addition, the stuffed exotic animals, birds and reptiles are on display. There are also stuffed animals in the expositions: «Saigas», «Lynx Attack on the Roe», «Pack of Wolves», «Fight of Siberian Ibex», «Elks», «Bear» and the «Przhevalsky Horse».

Horse Przhevalsky (Equus przewalskii Poljakov, 1881)
This endemic species of wild horse from the deserts of Central Asia was first described in 1881 by the skull and skin by the zoologist I.S. Polyakov and named after the traveler Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky (fig. 10). It was listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, the IUCN Red List and in Annex 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The historical habitat of the Przewalski horse is Mongolia and China, where among the local it was called as tachi and kertag. As early as 150-200 years ago, they inhabited desert and steppe landscapes of Kazakhstan on the territory of the present Akmola, East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Almaty regions, including the desert shores of the lakes Zaisan, Alakol, Sasykkol and Balkhash [1].
A remarkable project to create the first free population of the Przhevalsky horse in Kazakhstan was carried out in 2003 in the Altyn-Emel National Park with participation of the Munich and Almaty Zoos, the Institute of Zoology of the MES RK. A group of wild horses was brought to the territory of Altyn-Emel, representing the purebred Gellabrunskaya group of the A line of Przhevalsky horses. Animals are well adapted to life in the new conditions and live in the territory of the National Park now. In addition to the effigy, the Museum’s collection also contains the skull and skin of this horse.

II. Evolution of Organic World
This section provides scientific information about the development of life on the Earth and the evolution of human-being. Dioramas illustrate the types of plants and animals, showing the development of organic world from Silur to Cenozoic (fig. 16). There can be seen a diorama depicting the parking of primitive people. The overall picture is complemented by the map of «Gondwana», which shows the movement of land, starting with deep antiquity (180 million years ago) to the present state. The panel «Scheme of Geochronological Distribution of the Main Groups of Plants and Animals» with an indication of the era, epoch, period provides valuable scientific and educational information. In the same section there is a diorama «Ili Ostrich», which demonstrates findings of numerous fragments of eggshells of extinct ostriches’ eggs in sediments of the upper Cenozoic of the Charyn Canyon and in several points of the mountainous part of the left bank of the River Or within the Chilik, Kegen and Narynkol districts of the Almaty region (fig. 13, 14), [5, 6]. Here one can learn that two species of ostriches inhabited the territory of Kazakhstan: Early Pliocene from the outskirts of Pavlodar, closer to the ostrich Strutio camelius, living 5 million years ago and a large Iliian, closer to Turkestan or North African – Strutiio Mongolicus, living around 2 million years ago [7].
The thickness of the eggshell of the extinct «Ili Ostriches» reached 3.5 mm, whereas in modern ostriches it is only 2 mm. It has been established that the thickness of the shell of ostrich eggs depends on the size of the birds themselves. Based on this, it is assumed that the extinct ostriches from the Ili surpassed the growth of modern African species and were larger than the ostriches that once had lived within present-day Kyrgyzstan. Probably in height they approached the big mao, i.e. were 4 m high [6]. Thus, the «Ili Ostrich» is the ancestor of modern ostriches living in the territory of West Asia, North, South and East Africa. According to the latest P.A. Tleuberdina (2009) on the territory of Kazakhstan revealed more than 25 sites of finds from the remains of eggshells of fossil ostriches, which implies at least four species of these birds [8].
This colorful diorama was created by taxidermists E.F. Rodionov, S. Sheviakov, S. Kokotin and artist V. Egorov.
The expositions are also open here: a diorama dedicated to one of the founders of this Museum and the founder of the Taxidermy School of Kazakhstan, Evald Fedorovich Rodionov, and «Selevinia is the Pride of the Museum», dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the scientific description of Selevinia in the journal of the KSU.

Diorama «Rodionov E.F. - One of the Founders of the Museum and Taxidermy School of Kazakhstan»
Evald Fedorovich Rodionov (1926-1989) is an outstanding Kazakhstani taxidermist, creator of zoological exposition of Biological Museum of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (fig. 12). In 1953-1967 he worked at the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR and established himself as a «Master – Hands of Gold». It was he, who have established the storage system of the academic collection of birds, and made Museum racks, cabinets and drawers. He was a member of many scientific expeditions, and he was a remarkable field ornithologist and a tireless collector who produced several thousand bird pelts for the collection of the Institute [9]. Ewald Fedorovich was also one of the authors of the 5-volume report «Birds of Kazakhstan», who wrote an essay about the wren family. When KazSU developed the project of creating the Museum of Nature, E.F. Rodionov accepted an invitation from the KazSU leadership and in 1967 went to work at the University, first as a Director of the Museum and then as a Head of the Taxidermy Workshop. Creating a Museum has become a matter of his life and his contribution to its organization is invaluable. He developed schemes and draft sketches for building and decorating the thematic expositions, took part in its real foundation and content. During the decoration of expositions E.F. Rodionov and his students made hundreds of exhibits, the composition and postures of which were dictated by draft design, i.e. by «place» in the exhibition [3]. He dedicated more than 20 years of his life to this work; its results are enjoyed not only by students and teachers of the University, but also by numerous visitors to this Museum. Together with the Exhibition Exposition, E.F. Rodionov brought order and significantly replenished the scientific collection, which now holds about 3 thousand bird carcasses. He was the creator of the material basis of the Biological Museum in the form of unique stock, training and demo collections that were made at the highest level of taxidermy skills. Evald Fedorovich has created the first School of Taxidermists in Kazakhstan, educated dozens of students who successfully work in Kazakhstan and Russia [3,9,10].

Diorama «Zhalman nemese kalkankulak - Selevinia betpakdalensis Belosludov et Bazhanov, 1938 - Selevinia»
In 1938, the integrated Betpak-Dala expedition of KazSU and SAGU, which worked under the guidance of V.А. Selevin, collected 5 copies of a completely new science of rodents (fig. 13, 14). Upon return from the expedition V.A. Selevin noted the main systematic features of this extremely original animal in a report on the preliminary results of expeditionary research at a meeting convened on October 17 by the Directorate of KazSU together with the Zoological Section of the Society for the Study of Kazakhstan [11,12]. Subsequent processing of these executors was temporarily interrupted due to his illness and the sudden death of V.A. Selevin.
The first scientific description in 1938 was carried out by the Museum employee V.S. Bazhanov and student B.A. Beloslyudov, who named it as «Selevinia» in honor of its discoverer - Associate Professor of the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, scientist-zoologist V.А. Selevin. The full scientific name of this animal in Latin is Selevinia betpakdalensis Belosludov et Bazshanov (1938). Currently, the collection of the Betpak-dala expedition, collected in 1933-1938 and including 178 copies of birds and 150 copies mammals, is stored in the Museum's fund. The carcasses of the 3 described Selevinia are still kept in the Museum Funds, as well as the only instance of the whole rodent in a wet preparation, transferred in 2013 by the daughter of an employee who worked in the Alma-Ata Zoo in 1939. Unfortunately, there is still no information about it. Perhaps it was a copy of Selevinia, brought alive in May 1939 by B.A. Beloslyudov to the Alma-Ata Zoo, which once lived in the house of M.D. Zverev. Maxim Dmitrievich wrote about it in the journal Selevinia in 1993 [13]. The carcasses of the unique rodent of Selevinia are still kept in the Museum’s collections and are of great scientific value. Therefore, the logo of Biological Museum shows this unique rodent.

III. Ecology and Nature Conservation at Museum Expositions
On both sides of the upper tier of the Showroom, there are stands depicting extinct animal species and rare, endangered and narrowly endemic plant species (fig. 17). The top tier of the map of the USSR is crowned with the largest reserves designated on it and 7 stands with brief characteristics of Kazakhstan reserves for 1984. Along with it, in four dioramas, global environmental disasters caused by human activities are shown:
- Using the example of Australia's rabbits, it shows the detrimental effect on the natural ecosystems of alien species;
- Negative changes in the Tundra ecosystem due to its rapid development;
- Water pollution and consequences from oil spills;
- Natural disaster – mudflow in the Zailiysky Alatau gorge.
On the eve of the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Independence of Kazakhstan, the exposition «Turan Tiger – the King of Tugai Forests» was opened. The effigy was restored by the Museum's taxidermists.

Turan Zholbarysy - Panthera tigris virgata Illiger, 1815 – Turan Tiger
In the first half of the 20th century, the Turan tiger lived on the territory of Kazakhstan from the Caspian Sea to the Zaisan Depression (fig. 15). Now these are species that disappeared within its former range in Central Asia. The specimen in the Museum is a unique in its own way, since it is one of the last tigers that was caught by hunters in 1930 in the tugai of the Ili River. This is a young female of medium size with pronounced mammary glands. The length of its body reaches 170 cm, the length of the tail is 95 cm. In 1940-1960 this effigy was displayed in the old Museum building, then it turned out to be long lost and forgotten in the Museum Funds. Only 50 years later, in 2011, the tiger effigy returned to the Museum podium again.
Now this is the only effigy of a Turan tiger, preserved in Kazakhstani Museums, therefore it has a great scientific value. From information sources it is known that another scarecrow was also located in the Museum of Nature in Tashkent, but in the middle of 1960 it was burned down as a result of a fire.
On the eve of the 80th Anniversary of the Biological Museum, a diorama «The History of the Biological Museum» was opened.
The showroom also has expositions of birds and mammals. Birds here are presented in 278 copies of 138 species belonging to 19 orders and 49 families. Mammals are represented in 92 copies and 46 species belonging to 6 orders and 20 families. Of the exotic, there are 5 types of animals belonging to 4 orders and 5 families [14, 15].