Explore – Page 9

April 15, 2020 by

Museum from Home Blogs

Activities from our educators and behind the scenes stories about our collections at the museum

Carnegie’s Cactus: Carnegie gigantea
by Patrick McShea Diplodocus carnegii, a sauropod star of Dinosaurs in Their Time, is not the only large organism exhibited at Carnegie …
Groundhog Architecture
Contrary to the pervasive myth that is revived for public amusement every February 2, groundhogs are not able to predict the approach …
Teaching About Trees
Joe Stavish doesn’t need any reflection time to summarize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on his work. “The new challenge to …
Winging It: Quetzalcoatlus and the History of Aviation
When I see Quetzalcoatlus northropi soaring above the Cretaceous in Dinosaurs in Their Time, I’m often reminded of the Spirit of St. …
Super Science: She-Ra, the American Kestrel
Hi, my name is She-Ra and I’m an American kestrel. A scientist might call me Falco sparverius because that’s my species’ scientific …
Detecting Objects with Invisible Waves: Using Radar, Sonar, and Echolocation to “See”
The ability to see visible waves of light can be beneficial for determining the size, shape, distance, and speed of things in …
Fancy Feathers: An Unexplained Complexity in Evolutionary History
One of the most complex and highly intricate wonders of the flying world owes nothing to DaVinci’s studies on mechanical flight, the …
Nerding Out Over Masting, or Why Unusual Plant Reproduction Excites Animal Ecologists
As for many people, every pandemic month that passes marks another month since I’ve been able to travel. I realized recently that …
Are You Pishing at Me? Winter Birding in Pennsylvania
Leaves have fallen and so has snow, low clouds shroud the blue sky in a drop-ceiling effect, and the frigid air …
A Head Above the Rest: Unearthing the Story of Our Leatherback Sea Turtle
When you think of BIG sea creatures, you probably imagine great white sharks, huge blue whales, or ginormous cephalopods like the giant …
Insect metamorphosis: the key to a fresh new start
For many people, the new year represents an opportunity to make a fresh start, consider self-improvement, or turn over a new leaf. …
King’s Dream and Natural History
During the summer of 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. referenced the geographic high ground of our region in his “I Have a …
Becoming a Science Educator
Think back to when you were a child – what was your favorite way to learn how something works? Mine was to …
A Visit to the Mammoth Site, Hot Springs, SD
Did you know that not all museums display their fossil specimens mounted in life-like poses? At The Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, …
The Bromacker Fossil Project Part XIII: What We Learned
New to this series? Need to catch up on your reading? Here are all the previous posts for the Bromacker Fossil Project: Part I, …

April 15, 2020 by

Coloring Pages

Download Carnegie Museum of Natural History Coloring pages to print and color or to drag and drop into your favorite coloring software.

Download Tim Pearce Coloring Page

Download Mango Coloring Page

You can find salamanders like these (they’re usually red) near wet ground, like by Powdermill Run at the museum’s environmental research center, Powdermill Nature Reserve.

Download Salamander Coloring Page

Tufted Titmice are regularly seen and banded at Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center, Powdermill Nature Reserve!

Download Tufted Titmouse Coloring Page

Download She-Ra Coloring Page

Download Dippy Says Coloring Page

Download Boomer Coloring Page

Download Scuba Lupe Coloring Page

Download Rocket Mango Coloring Page

Download Chef Lupe Coloring Page

Download John Snow Coloring Page

February 27, 2020 by

Amphibians & Reptiles

Second Floor

Check out the reptiles and amphibians of today while looking out over prehistoric reptiles that existed millions of years ago.

The Daniel G. & Carole L. Kamin T. rex Overlook is home to the museum’s main herpetology displays, which feature toads, frogs, salamanders, snakes, lizards, and turtles of Pennsylvania. Learn about what makes these creatures unique, and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of an exciting scene in Kamin Halal of Dinosaurs, where two T. rexes are frozen in battle while a giant pterosaur flies above.

Though Pennsylvania has a temperate climate, it is home to representatives of most reptile and amphibian groups. Four dioramas exhibit examples of animals from our state, including an eastern box turtle, a northern leopard frog, and the venomous copperhead snake.

Meet our Herpetologist

Jennifer Sheridan, Ph.D.

Assistant Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles

Learn More

Learn about the Amphibians & Reptiles (Herpetology) Collection at the Museum

The Section of Amphibians and Reptiles maintains a collection of more than 230,000 specimens and ranks at about the ninth largest amphibian and reptile collection in the United States.

Learn about the Section of Amphibians & Reptiles (Herpetology)

February 27, 2020 by

Cretaceous Seaway

First Floor

Step into an underwater world in Cretaceous Seaway, a unique exhibition hall that features gentle giants and fierce predators that lived underwater during the Age of Dinosaurs.

The hall brings to life the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow ocean that existed in the Midwestern United States 80 million years ago. Hanging over the entry, a massive Manitoba pliosaur closes in on its potential prey, a juvenile of the plesiosaur Libonectes morgani. The juvenile plesiosaur Libonectes is the only one of its kind, replica or otherwise, on display anywhere in the world.

Visitors can also examine the fossils of a giant turtle and a newly restored Tylosaurus mosasaur fossil skull. See a dramatic chase scene where a plesiosaur is in pursuit of a prehistoric diving bird. Look up, and see the king of the seaway—a 40-foot mosasaur swimming above. Two replica fossil fishes hang nearby.

Adjacent to Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs, Cretaceous Seaway is an extension of our blockbuster core exhibition that showcases life during the Cretaceous Period.

Learn about the Invertebrate Paleontology Collection at the Museum

Invertebrate Paleontology’s collection contains several noteworthy phyla, including Paleozoic trilobites, Mesozoic and Cenozoic crustaceans, lower Carboniferous brachiopods, Paleozoic gastropods, Paleozoic cephalopods, Paleozoic ophiuroids, and Pennsylvanian age eurypterids. The section also has more than 12,000 primary types and figured specimens.

Learn about the Section of Invertebrate Paleontology

February 27, 2020 by

Art of the Diorama

First Floor

Discover the craft and artistry behind Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s famous nature dioramas. Art of the Diorama is an exhibition designed to look like a turn of the century museum with mahogany furniture, a chandelier, and seven classic dioramas that were created in the 1920s and 1930s.

The dioramas feature wildlife like blue geese and aurora trout in stunning replications of scenes from nature. The dioramas were created at the height of the craft and feature detailed, hand-painted backgrounds, expert taxidermy, and scientifically accurate flora and fauna. The exhibition also features two antique “bubble-glass” commercial taxidermy pieces that were once popular in homes and parlors.

Art of the Diorama gives visitors a deeper appreciation for the museum’s dioramas and shows how museum dioramas have changed and grown alongside the conservation movement.

February 27, 2020 by

Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life

group of people looking at a polar bear taxidermy mount

Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life will close on June 28, 2026.

For more than 40 years, Polar World has transported visitors on an immersive journey through 4,500 years of Inuit history and Arctic life. Inuit sculptures and prints, full-sized dioramas, Arctic wildlife specimens, and a replica snowhouse have captivated people of all ages on tours, field trips, and independent visits.

While saying good-bye can be difficult, closing exhibitions creates space for new experiences. We look forward to sharing more details of our plans for the hall in the days ahead. All scientific specimens and objects from Polar World will be carefully cleaned and conserved by our expert conservation team. Some objects and specimens may return to display in other areas of the museum.

Before the exhibition closes, you’re warmly invited to join us for a farewell weekend of activities in Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life, June 26–28, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Throughout the anthropology and wildlife halls, enjoy hands-on Arctic themed activities, including art making, storytime, and a Snowhouse Spotlight tour. All activities are included with museum admission.