American Museum of Natural History’s Post

At 122 ft (37.2 m) long, Patagotitan mayorum is the Museum’s largest dinosaur on display and one of the largest animals to have ever walked the Earth! This gigantic herbivore, which lived some 95 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous, was heavier than 10 African elephants—tipping the scales at roughly 70 tons. In fact, The Titanosaur is so big that it barely fits in the Museum’s halls: It’s longer than the gallery it sits in—and its head, which would graze the ceiling, extends outwards toward the elevator banks!

A new giant-screen film is on view in the Museum’s LeFrak Theater, starting today! In Turtle Odyssey, discover the wondrous life of a sea turtle named Bunji, from hatchling to adulthood, and the great migration undertaken by generations before her. As this turtle leaves the rookery on the Great Barrier Reef and swims hundreds of miles, she encounters many marine animals—including humpback whales, parrot fish, and even a great white shark—as well as threats to her survival, like plastic waste. Beat the heat, visit the Museum, and enjoy this immersive giant-screen film on a 40-foot-high, 66-foot-wide screen with state-of-the-art digital sound! For showtimes and more, visit: https://bit.ly/4cSMQOg

Kick off your Fourth of July with the national bird, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)! The Museum’s Bald Eagle Diorama depicts a scene set near Alaska’s Chilkat River. Around November, when the chum salmon spawn and then die, Bald Eagles old and young congregate in numbers to feed upon salmon carcasses. This majestic bird of prey has a wide range throughout North America, soaring high in the sky with a wingspan of up to 8.5 ft (2.6 m)! You can spot this raptor in the Hall of North American Birds. The Museum is open today from 10 am–5:30 pm! Plan your visit: https://bit.ly/4brkWaP Photo: © AMNH

What the heck is a nudibranch? Join marine biologist and Museum Curator Jessica Goodheart for a deep dive into the wild world of nudibranchs, including her research on the fascinating ways they defend themselves! Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/4bz0ftv #marinebiology #research #museums #nudibranch #STEM

What exactly IS a fossil? Can a fossil be a plant, or a footprint? Does a fossil have to be a dinosaur? From beautiful amber to ancient DNA, the fossil record of Earth stretches back hundreds of millions of years. In this video, Macauley Curator Roger Benson explains how a fossil is different from a skeleton, and shows many of the types of fossils that have helped paleontologists to understand the history of life on our planet. Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/eXCe8YgF #fossils #paleontology #museum #naturalhistory #dinosaurs

The iconic frog-eating bat (Trachops cirrhosus), best known for hunting amphibians in the Neotropics, is one of the most easily recognizable bat species. But new research, led by Angelo Soto-Centeno, who is joining the Museum as an assistant curator in the Department of Mammalogy next month, along with Museum Curator Nancy Simmons and colleagues at the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (Oficial) in Brazil, suggests that these bats actually comprise three separate species across their range—knowledge that’s vital for future conservation efforts. “Frog-eating bats are very iconic and easy to identify, with long woolly fur, large ears, and wartlike protrusions on its chin and snout that make it very recognizable,” Soto-Centeno said. “But that has led to underestimation of its diversity. Detailed taxonomic accounts like this are the first step for making effective conservation decisions concerning these animals.” Read more about their results, published today in the journal American Museum Novitates, in our latest blog post: https://bit.ly/3zpZC8r Photo: © Sherri and Brock Fenton #bats #research #mammalogy #conservation #biodiversity

Mark your calendars for Friday, July 12! Manhattanhenge returns for a lecture and block party celebrating the last opportunity to see the Manhattanhenge Effect this year. Join Museum Senior Scientist Jackie Faherty for a 3D presentation about the science and history behind the phenomenon when the setting Sun perfectly aligns with the cross streets of the grid of Manhattan. After the program, join us for a spectacular Manhattanhenge viewing event outdoors! For more details and to reserve tickets, visit: https://bit.ly/3z96ZB8 #museums #nyc #thingstodoinnyc

Leaping leeches! While explorers have documented personal accounts of jumping leeches for more than a century, leech biologists have often argued against these claims, saying it was more likely that the bloodsuckers climbed on their prey unnoticed or dropped onto them from vegetation above. But a new study led by Mai Fahmy, PhD, a visiting scientist at the Museum and a postdoctoral researcher at Fordham University, provides evidence that at least one species of terrestrial leech in Madagascar actually can jump. Published in the journal Biotropica today, the study features video evidence, including footage of a Chtonobdella leech moving like a “backbending cobra”—like a spring being pulled back—and jumping to the ground. In addition to capturing this never-before-documented phenomenon, leech biology is also important to conservation efforts. Leeches are increasingly being collected to survey vertebrate biodiversity, with researchers analyzing leech gut contents—their blood meals—to identify which other animals live nearby, from wildcats to frogs to ground-dwelling birds. To learn more, and to see the leaping leeches in action, visit: https://bit.ly/3VuMaaN #leeches #research #museums