Special Collections are collections of AMNH Resources selected to complement a particular theme, such as the Museum's special and permanent exhibitions, or to supplement in-depth curriculum topics such as Antarctica or Biodiversity. You will also find indexes to Museum web sites such as Science Bulletins and OLogy. Use the navigation menu below to explore the special collections by topic.
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Extreme Mammals explores the surprising and sometimes bizarre world of extinct and living mammals, featuring spectacular fossils from the Museum's collections.
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Explore the science, history, and impact of climate change, and the ways in which individuals, communities and nations can reduce their carbon footprints.
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The Horse examines the powerful and continuing relationship between the horse and humans.
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Explore where water occurs on Earth, how it's used, and how we can become better stewards of our water planet.
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For thousands of years, humans everywhere—sometimes inspired by living animals or even fossils—have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, songs, and works of art.
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Investigate the key evidence that scientists use to assemble the evolutionary story of our taxonomic family, the hominids.
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Explore online resources about gold—its properties, origins, and role as a driver of human settlement and a symbol of status.
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Explore the diversity and amazing adaptations of squamates—legged and legless lizards, including snakes.
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Why is the ocean so big? Why is it salty? How deep is it? How does the ocean work? Examine the relationships between the oceans and climate, geological events, and weather with these resources developed for the Museum's online courses for educators.
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Deepen your understanding of our dynamic universe with online resources prepared especially for the Cosmic Collisions Space Show.
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Find out about the life of the great naturalist, how he arrived at his theory of evolution by natural selection, and why he waited over 20 years to publish it.
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Explore an exciting array of resources that extend Science Explorations — the online investigations, interactive tools, and other activities developed in collaboration with Scholastic.
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Investigate paleontologists' new clues and discoveries of how dinosaurs looked, behaved, and moved.
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Explore the innovative artistry of Native American jewelry makers and the remarkable continuity and vitality of the cultures to which they belong.
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Extend your viewing of Origins, a NOVA miniseries that explores the beginning of time, the distant reaches of the universe, and the search for life's first stirrings and its traces on other worlds.
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For exciting science adventures, check out activities, articles, and more from OLogy, the American Museum of Natural History's Web site for kids.
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Meteorites contain vital clues about how our solar system evolved into today's Sun and planets-and how future impacts could affect us.
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Explore the spectacular caravan city of Petra and the nomadic desert traders, the Nabataeans, who built it at a crossroads of the ancient world.
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Travel to the cutting edge with Science Bulletins. Learn about recent discoveries in biodiversity, Earth science, and astronomy and see how scientists are using new technologies to study space and our dynamic Earth.
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About 3.5 billion years ago the ocean gave rise to the first life on Earth. Today no matter where you live, it shapes and sustains your life—and all life around you.
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Take a journey through Vietnam at the start of the 21st century and experience the incredible diversity of its landscape and its people.
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In Einstein's universe, gravity isn't a force, space has hills and valleys, and a second isn't always a second. Come view the world through Einstein's eyes. You may be surprised by what you see!
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Explore the process of astrophysics—including light, telescopes, digital imaging, the 3-D universe, and gravity.
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Pick one activity, one article—or use all nine units to teach your students about plants, arthropods, or both. This curriculum teaches kids about the natural world by taking them into backyards, gardens, vacant lots, and even cracks in the sidewalk to practice observation, identification, and analysis.
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Guide your visit to the museum's Hall of Biodiversity and read behind-the-scene stories about the creation of the exhibit. Examine the concepts explored by the hall through interactive maps and printable exhibition materials.
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Take your students to the world's most extreme environment with this curriculum. As they investigate Antarctica, they will also learn about world climate, day and night cycles, ocean circulation, animal adaptation, and scientists working "in the field."
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Do your students think the age of exploration is over? Show them the shocking truth: the age of exploration has barely just begun at the ocean floor! Use both units over the course of a month; or select just one or two resources to introduce your students to the incredible under water environment of the deep sea vents.
