Biogeography in popular culture 2 - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

With the new movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle out to capture a slice of the year-end box office pie, we have a movie featuring lots of animals, and another chance to figure out the biodiversity and biogeography of the setting.

I counted at least 16 species of animals featured in the film, and there is a constant reference to the jaguar. So is Jumanji somewhere in the Americas?

As the accuracy of biogeography depicted in popular culture such as television commercials and Katy Perry's music video is rather suspect, lets see about this one.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Africa: 1. hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), 2. black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), 3. Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) (?), 4. white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum), 5. African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana).

South America: 6. vulture (Cathartidae), 7. jaguar (Panthera onca)

North America: 8. Mexican red knee tarantula (Brachypelma sp.), 9. grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Unknown/unidentified (too fleeting or unfamiliar to ID): 10. eagle, 11. fruit bat (Pteropodidae), 12. centipede, 13. scorpion, 14. mosquito, 15. rat

Missing from original: lion, monkey, zebra, pelican

Based on the overwhelming number of animals (at least 4) from one continent, the new Jumanji movie is probably set somewhere in Africa. However, the presence of some species from North and South America makes this another flawed depiction of biogeography in the media industry.

I am not sure if it there is a biodiversity crisis in Jumanji that mirrors the real world, because some species from the original movie such as the zebras and lion are obviously missing from this movie.

One thing has not changed though. Just like the original, the CGI animals in the new movie look rather unnatural.

The Line and Love Our MacRitchie Forest

"Without the environment, there will be no platform for the arts, sports, businesses, jobs and economy.

All members of this House should be concerned and ask why something as inviolate as our nature reserve, on which we draw free eco-services that make our very existence that much more meaningful, is to be desecrated in the name of infrastructure."

This said by Faizah Jamal during her parliamentary speech as NMP in 2014.

Environmental issues are not restricted to "greenies", that is why when other segments of society speak regarding the environment, they are an important voice as they cannot be dismissed as niche interests from green groups.

This wonderful original song (The Line) by Rani Singam, joins the Love Our Macritchie Forest song in highlighting civil society's concern about the environmental impact of the Cross Island Line (CRL) on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

I am proud of the fact that these artists have raised their concerns through song.

"Not just about some ole tree
It defines us, you and me"

It then falls on the usually silent majority to share the videos if the principles of where we draw the line bugs them too.

Biogeography in popular culture - Katy Perry's Roar & Transitions Optical TVC

Popular culture usually has an interesting (and often unscientific) depiction of biodiversity. Most of the time, producers tend to take the kitchen-sink approach, where more species or the more iconic species, the better.

Unfortunately, accuracy in biogeography suffers in most cases. Biological communities and species typically vary across geographic space (e.g., continents). The media often depict organisms belonging to more than one biologically distinct geographical regions in the same space. I wonder how this has an impact in shaping people's perception of nature.

This post developed from a rather short twitter post and is meant to take a fun, non-critical look at two memorable examples, one old and one current:

Transitions Optical TVC

This eyewear lens ad depicts a day's work by wildlife cinematographer where a tiger (Panthera tigris) from Asia, scarlet macaws (Ara macao) from South America, an orangutan (Pongo sp.) from Southeast Asia, and a Raggiana bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea raggiana) from New Guinea are seen. Such an assemblage is impossible in the wild in a single forest.

If 4 species of animals of at least 3 different biographic regions are a stretch, the next one stretches reality even further.

Katy Perry - Roar

The forest in Katy Perry's new music video for Roar has a minimum of 12 species of animals from at least 4 continents.

Image: Katy Perry / Columbia Records / Twitter

Asia: 1. Tiger (Panthera tigris), 2. great hornbill (Buceros bicornis), 3. Alexandrine or rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula sp.).

Africa: 4. African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), 5. baboon (Papio sp.).

Australia: 6. Eclectus parrot (Eclectus roratus), 

South America: 7. white-headed capuchin (Cebus capucinus), 8. blue and gold macaw (Ara ararauna ) & hybrid (Ara ararauna x Ara macao), 9. Toco toucan (Ramphastos toco).

Unknown: 10. crocodilian, 11. tarantula, 12. firefly.

This is really quite an impressive list of animals from at least 4 different ecoregions. A lot of it must have depended on what captive animals were available for the production.

And that is just for the animals. Botanists can surely come up with a list of the motley assemblage of plants as well.

Update: Inkfish also noticed and wrote about the video.