Moriarty Science Seminar: Nittany Lions, Peruvian Chinchillas, and Mammalian Cognition: 25+ Years of Collaboration Between Penn State and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: “Nittany Lions, Peruvian Chinchillas, and Mammalian Cognition: 25+ Years of Collaboration Between Penn State and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History”

Speaker: Carolyn Mahan, Penn State.

Since 1994, I have worked with the Section of Mammals at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) to explore conservation issues and to ask evolutionary questions locally and globally. In this lecture, I will explore these projects starting with my initial project to return the “Original Nittany Lion” to The Pennsylvania State University. The original lion—a taxidermy specimen from the mid-1800s—was the inspiration for the Penn State mascot and was being stored at CMNH after being displayed at the Chicago’s World Fair. It took 100 years for it to find its way back to Penn State. I also have explored the plight of the short-tailed chinchilla—a critically endangered species of rodent native to the high Andean plateau. Its fur was so valuable that no specimens exist in any mammal collections in the western hemisphere. Curators and collection managers at CMNH helped discover specimens for me to study in the collections of Europe. Finally, I examined cranial capacity of small mammals and brown bears using skulls curated at CMNH. Cranial capacity, as a surrogate for cognitive ability, permits my research team to better understand wild mammals’ abilities to adapt to novel, human environments in the United States and Europe.

This event will take place Monday, April 15, 2024 at Noon in person at Earth Theater.

Seminar 169

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