Australian Reptile Feeding Mechanisms
Client
National Aquarium: Australia Wild Extremes; Drew Roderuck and Matthew
Year
2025
Audience
General public and children, private reptile feeding tours
This educational poster was created for visitors to the Australia Wild Extremes exhibit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. It highlights the behaviors of five Australian reptiles commonly observed during feeding times. Each species is illustrated with functional callouts and diagrams to enhance understanding of the feeding behaviors. Text is written in short chunks using plain language for easy readability. The background depicts a gorge from the Northern Territory, reflecting the exhibit’s environment. Although not all featured reptiles, such as the shingleback skink, are native to this region, National Aquarium herpetologists aimed to present a cohesive visual story that focused on directing visitors’ attention to recognize the feeding mechanisms of all species within the live exhibit. Since the reptiles varied greatly in size, special care was taken to place them at varying depths within the landscape to give the illusion of a diorama. Ripped paper textures, rough pencil lines, and bleeding watercolor edges were used to create a field journal effect.
Beginning with thumbnail sketches to explore composition and how the five featured reptiles could be arranged within the Northern Territory gorge backdrop. Relative scale and depth were important elements for me to consider. I was very inspired by museum dioramas I’d seen while visiting the Field Museum in Chicago and the Smithsonian in DC. I wanted my final illustration to be as immersive as the Australia Wild Extremes exhibit.
From there, I developed rough sketches of each reptile, the foliage, and the sandstone cliffs. Additional graphics would be used to teach unique aspects of reptile feeding mechanisms. I experimented with layout designs to balance the text callouts and diagrams to settle on one that felt cohesive and visually engaging.
