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150 Years American Museum of Natural History

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264 Results for "animal"

olc_194_zooplankton_listing

All animals of the sea depend on plankton, the tiny organisms that drift in the ocean.

olc_145_gorgonian_fan_coral_listing

With vibrant colors and fantastic shapes, coral reefs are a breathtaking sight. These underwater structures are actua...

olc_204_sea_otter_listing

With its furry coat, friendly face, and playful nature, the sea otter is perhaps one of the most endearing animals in...

olc_212_coelacanth_listing

In 1938, fishermen off the east coast of Africa pulled up a strange creature in their nets.

olc_035_crinoids_listing

Are these rare and colorful creatures flowering plants or animals?

olc_120_california_condor_listing

California condors are the largest birds in North America. Like all vultures, condors are carrion-eaters. This means...

olc_205_blue_whale_listing

The blue whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth.

olc_135_blue_ringed_octopus_listing

Many animals and plants use color to warn predators to stay away, and the blue ringed octopus is no exception. When t...

olc_292_horse_listing

A tiny, two-feet tall horse-like animal scampers through a forest, nibbling on leaves.

olc_192_giant_squid_listing

The giant squid is the largest invertebrate, or animal without a backbone, ever to have lived on Earth!

olc_150_mites_listing

If you looked at the contents of a vacuum cleaner bag with a microscope, you'd probably find millions of tiny creatur...

olc_365_staghorn_coral_listing

A coral reef may look like a colorful underwater garden, but these living structures are made by thousands of tiny an...

olc_036_brachiopods_listing

These creatures have lived in Earth's oceans for over 545 million years!

olc_130_starfish_listing

It's easy to see how the starfish got its name -- with their pointed arms, these creatures look like stars fallen to...

olc_127_leatherback_sea_turtle_listing

The leatherback is the world's largest turtle. Unlike the bony exterior of other sea turtles, the exterior of the lea...

olc_364_tardigrade_listing

Bubbling hot springs. Antarctic ice. Deep ocean trenches. The Himalayan peaks. Few organisms can live in any of these...

olc_275_pygmy_loris_listing

Vietnam is a country of amazing biodiversity, including many rare and unusual species. One fascinating example is the...

olc_126_komodo_dragon_listing

The Komodo dragon lumbers through the forest on its thick, stocky legs. It sways its head back and forth, flicking it...

olc_368_smalltooth_sawfish_listing

The body of a sawfish may look like a fish, but its long, flat snout sets it apart. Rimmed with razor-sharp points, t...

olc_310_red_kangaroo_listing

The red kangaroo is an amazing mammal. With its powerful hind legs and long tail, it can leap up to 45 feet (13.5 m)...

olc_186_giant_tubeworms_listing

Some of Earth's oddest creatures live arounddeep-sea hydrothermal (hot water) vents. These vents spew plumes of hot,...

olc_195_west_indian_manatee_listing

Manatees were once mistaken for mermaids. In fact, manatees are part of a small group of marine mammals known as &quo...

olc_306_american_black_bear_listing

If you watched an American black bear lumbering through the forest, you might not notice anything unusual about how i...

olc_345_common_eastern_firefly_listing

Have you ever caught a firefly on a warm summer night? Chances are it was a common eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis)...

olc_352_golden_poison_frog_listing

Over 80 kinds of poison frogs live in the tropical forests of Central and South America.

olc_353_gabon_viper_listing

There are more than 250 kinds of vipers, a family of poisonous snakes. The largest of all is the gabon viper.

olc_354_cone_snail_listing

The oceans are filled with creatures that use poison to survive. Some use chemical defenses to deter predators. Other...

olc_366_axolotl_listing

Most amphibians start their lives in water, and grow up to live on land. But axolotls live their whole lives in water...

olc_367_cyphonia_clavata_listing

This treehopper looks more like an ant than the flying insect it is. Its costume, called a "helmet," grows...

olc_124_kagu_listing

New Caledonia, a tiny island east of Australia, is the only place where an unusual bird called the kagu is found. Abo...

olc_129_radiated_tortoise_listing

This beautiful tortoise lives in the deserts of Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. This reptile gets its...

olc_334_broad-tailed_swallowtail_listing

Taiwan's national butterfly is the Broad-tailed Swallowtail butterfly.

olc_335_juvia_large_crow_listing

This butterfly once lived in the mangrove forests along the tropical coast of Taiwan.

olc_336_magellan_s_iridescent_birdwing_listing

The dazzling Magellan's Iridescent Birdwing is found only on Orchid Island, about 60 kilometers off the southeast coa...

olc_337_purple_crows_listing

Every fall, over one million Purple Crows journey from northern to southern Taiwan. They spend the winter in warm val...

olc_338_taiwan_beech_hairstreak_listing

The rare Taiwan beech tree grows only in a few forests of northern Taiwan. These are also the only places you'll find...

olc_288_polar_bear_listing

Polar bears are the top predator of the icy Arctic. But these large, furry white mammals have to work hard for their...

olc_307_greater_short-nosed_fruit_bat_listing

Many mammals run and walk. Some hop, swim, and even glide from trees.

olc_308_white-handed_gibbon_listing

Most mammals that live on land use their legs to get around. But the white-handed gibbon relies mostly on its arms. U...

olc_309_thomson_s_gazelle_listing

On the dry grasslands of eastern Africa, the Thomson's gazelle grazes in the tall grass. Suddenly, it hears a noise a...

olc_093_ruffed_lemur_listing

In the wild, ruffed lemurs live in only one place -- the eastern rain forests of Madagascar.

olc_094_sumatran_tiger_listing

The Sumatran tiger is found in only one place on the Earth -- on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Fewer than 500 o...

olc_097_northern_spotted_owl_listing

Ornithologists, or scientists who study birds, want to prevent the forests of the Pacific Northwest from being choppe...

olc_098_humpback_whale_listing

Even though this whale of a whale weighs many tons, the humpback whale can make acrobatic leaps out of the water!

olc_100_st_vincent_parrot_listing

The St. Vincent parrot makes its home on the tropical island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. These parrots are cover...

olc_101_pacu_listing

If you came face to face with a pacu, what would you do? Never fear -- the pacu may look like a big and scary fish, b...

olc_112_yacare_caiman_listing

That toothy grin might make you think this is a crocodile or an alligator. But the Yacaré caiman is neither. Caimans...

olc_114_american_crocodile_listing

The American crocodile has lived on Earth for millions of years, but today their numbers are rapidly declining becaus...

olc_115_asian_elephant_listing

The Asian elephant is one of the largest land mammals in the world. Some people believe that elephants feel joy and s...

olc_116_tibetan_antelope_listing

The Tibetan antelope, also known as "chiru," is one of the most beautiful mammals in the world.

olc_117_dolly_listing

In 1997, Dolly rocked the world of genetics. Not baaaa'd for a little lamb from Scotland. What was the big deal? She...

olc_119_bengal_tiger_listing

This mighty member of the cat family is a powerful predator. It can leap up to 30 feet in the air, climb trees, and e...

olc_121_electric_eel_listing

The electric eel is long and narrow like an eel, but it is actually not an eel at all. In fact, electric eels are pro...

olc_122_goliath_frog_listing

Tipping the scales at more than 7 pounds, the Goliath is the largest frog in the world. Just two of these frogs weigh...

olc_123_hellbender_listing

The hellbender is one of the largest salamanders in North America.

olc_125_king_cobra_listing

The king cobra is the largest venomous snake in the world. Whether slithering on land, climbing trees, or swimming, i...

olc_128_mountain_gorilla_listing

The mountain gorilla lives high up in the forests of east central Africa.

olc_131_aye-aye_listing

The gremlin-like, endangered aye-aye makes its home in the tropical forests of Madagascar, a large island off the coa...

olc_132_whooping_crane_listing

The whooping crane is known as the tallest bird in North America. This long legged creature has been struggling to su...

olc_133_ants_listing

It only seems like the world's entire ant population attends your picnics.

olc_141_dragonflies_listing

Based on fossils of ancient dragonflies, we know these winged insects have been soaring around for at least 300 milli...

olc_147_ladybird_beetle_listing

Most people know red and black spotted ladybird beetles as friendly insects that are fun to pick up and watch fly awa...

olc_151_mosquitoes_listing

You might think that all mosquitoes are alike, but did you know that there are actually about 2,500 different kinds?...

olc_154_portuguese_man-of-war_listing

The Portuguese man-of-war is actually a floating colony of individuals called polyps that are all dependent on each o...

olc_155_pseudoscorpions_listing

If you ever find a pseudoscorpion in your bathtub, don't worry! These tiny arachnids are harmless to humans.

olc_158_termites_listing

A rotting log is a mighty tasty meal -- if you're a termite. Termites not only eat wood, some kinds live in it, too....

olc_160_white-tailed_spider_listing

Not all spiders spin webs to catch their meals. When night falls in Australia, the white-tailed spider hunts its prey...

olc_190_cichlids_listing

These tropical freshwater fishes come in so many colors, shapes, and sizes, it's nearly impossible to sum up the fami...

olc_198_giant_sea_spider_listing

Some exotic creatures lurk in the polar seas, but perhaps none is more bizarre than the giant sea spider.

olc_199_striped_bass_listing

The striped bass has been a popular catch for fishermen for centuries. These fishes are known for their spiny fins an...

olc_200_orange_roughy_listing

For centuries, orange roughy went mostly unnoticed by humans. These fish thrived in the dark, the cold, and the inten...

olc_201_brown_pelican_listing

This large dark bird is unmistakable soaring in the air along the coast.

olc_202_snowy_egret_listing

The snowy egret is a beautiful sight. An adult egret is distinguished by its dark slender beak, long black legs, and...

olc_203_triton_trumpet_listing

Many people have seen the beautiful spiral triton trumpet shell. Unfortunately, most people can see these brown and w...

olc_206_common_dolphin_listing

With their white bellies and dark backs, dolphins can be found jumping above the water, swimming alongside fishing sh...

olc_210_california_sea_lion_listing

California sea lions are playful, intelligent, and fastin and out of water. Their large flippers enable them to leap...

olc_015_eudromia_elegans_listing

This living dinosaur is also known by its common name, the Martineta tinamou.

Explore some of the inventive ways that help living things reproduce and their offspring survive.

Take a look at some unusual living and extinct mammals.

Find out how paleontologist John Flynn answered kids' questions.

Find out how humans are threatening species, and what we can do to help protect them.

Is this animal a tadpole, frog, salamander, or lizard? Take a guess!

Is this animal a rodent, a primate, or a raccoon's relative? Take a guess!

Volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes... Examine how plate tectonics affect our world.

Explore how Eleanor is protecting the world's animals and plants.

polaroid photos of a larval sunfish and a comb jelly.

Can you match these marine animals with their baby pictures?

Create land and sea animals that "glow" in the dark!

Start a field journal, and track how your favorite critter looks and behaves.

Biodiversity scientist Richard Pearson answers this question.

Invertebrate ecologist Sacha Spector answers this question.

Take a look at some of the extraordinary ways that animals experience the world around them.

Why are many animal and plant species dying out forever?

What animal does this long, spiraled tooth belong to? Take a guess!

What animal did scientists collect this tissue from? Take a guess!

Roaring t. rex and concentric circles representing soundwaves

Mix the sounds of different animals to create the roar of the Tyrannosaurus rex!

game + hands-on

Play this game to find out how a law protects animals and plants.

Play this game to explore the animals and plants in an African rain forest.

Trees provide humans and other animals with oxygen, food, and shelter.

Animals are getting hurt by plastic. Together, we can help!

If you like ocean animals, you should help because they are in danger!

Conservation biologist Felicity Arengo answers this question.

Molecular biologist Rob DeSalle answers this question.

Watch two stories from ancient Greece that are animated as if they are vase paintings come to life.

Solve these interactive story puzzles to find out how people and other animals live in the Arctic.

What animal bones did early humans used to build huts? Take a guess!

What unique plants and animals live in this island nation's diverse habitats?
¡TAMBIÉN EN ESPAÑOL!

olc_187_camouflage_listing

Many other animals use camouflage -- colors, textures, or patterns that help them blend in with their environment.

Entomologist Toby Schuh answers this question.

Discover how these deep sea creatures create their own light!

olc_293_domestication_listing

For thousands of years, people have kept animals for many different reasons. They have kept sheep for wool, cows for...

olc_193_phytoplankton_listing

Plankton are the microscopic organisms of the sea. Just as plants form the basis for the ecosystem on land, phytoplan...

olc_146_habitat_listing

Animals and plants are usually adapted to survive best in particular environments, known as their habitats.

All aboard! Hop on a submersible and explore an amazing diversity of life at the ocean floor.

olc_091_endangered_listing

Thousands of plants and animal species may be in danger of becoming extinct and disappearing forever.

olc_197_polar_seas_listing

The frigid waters of the Arctic and the Antarctic may seem like hostile habitats. But a variety of marine life -- fro...

olc_211_feeding_listing

All living organisms need energy to live. Organisms such as plants get this energy from the Sun. But animals get this...

Follow Carly's comic book adventures in Wasp Land.

Explore some surprising ways that organisms get the food that they need.

Discover how species have evolved to survive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth.

Discover some of the amazing ways that organisms have evolved to keep from being eaten.

Wasps can live in hives of thousands, but did you know that most wasps are solitary? Get the facts.

olc_214_communication_listing

Like humans, animals need to communicate with each other. Through sight, touch, sound, smell, and even electrical pul...

olc_209_locomotion_listing

Animals swim, walk, crawl, slither, squirm, and even fly through the air. They can catch free rides by attaching them...

olc_188_invertebrate_listing

Some people may call invertebrates spineless because they lack a backbone or spine! But these amazing creatures are t...

Mummies are preserved remains of humans and other animals, some lasting for thousands of years.

olc_031_extinction_listing

An animal or plant becomes extinct when the last of its kind dies.

olc_001_chirostenotes_pergracilis_listing

With its bird-like features, this animal was mistaken for a giant bird for a while.

olc_111_clone_listing

Clones are plants and animals that have more than just their looks in common; they also have the exact same DNA seque...

olc_271_julie_feinstein_listing

Scientists all over the world send precious cargo to Julie Feinstein: frozen samples of animal tissues.

olc_180_continental_shelf_listing

Most ocean plants and animals live near the shore, on a narrow ribbon of seafloor called the continental shelf.

olc_227_peru_listing

Thousands of years ago, nomads traveled throughout the area that is now Peru. Eventually, they settled into villages...

olc_245_limestone_listing

Limestone is made up of fossils. After small marine animals die, their shells and skeletons build up on the ocean floor.

olc_351_passionflower_listing

In the forests of Central and South America grows the vibrant passionflower with deep red flowers and juicy yellow fr...

olc_113_george_amato_listing

Since he was a kid, George Amato has been wild about wildlife. Today he works for the Wildlife Conservation Society a...

olc_152_paula_mikkelsen_listing

When Paula Mikkelsen moved to Florida, she turned a fun hobby into an exciting career. She enjoyed walking along Flor...

olc_196_sea_snow_listing

Throughout the world's oceans, tiny particles swirl, drift, and fall like snowflakes from the ocean's upper levels.

olc_029_cladistics_listing

To try to piece together how organisms are related, scientists use cladistics.

Test your knowledge about the variety of life on Earth with this quiz.

olc_148_invasive_species_listing

An invasive species is a living thing that moves into a new region. Species often become "invasive" as a re...

olc_149_madagascar_listing

Compared to the continent of Africa, Madagascar may seem small. But this island, the fourth largest in the world, is...

olc_105_breed_listing

All dogs, from the giant Great Dane to the tiny Chihuahua, belong to the same species: Canis familiaris. Within that...

olc_183_seafloor_listing

The seafloor covers more than half of the Earth's surface. Most of the seafloor consists of the flat, expansive abyss...

olc_213_respiration_and_breathing_listing

Most living things need oxygen to survive. Oxygen helps organisms grow, reproduce, and turn food into energy. Humans...

olc_215_hydrothermal_vents_listing

Imagine you are a marine biologist, traveling far beneath the ocean surface in a submersible.

Send a note to a friend with these horsey letterheads.

olc_189_vertebrate_listing

What do we have in common with sharks, bluebirds, lizards, and toads? We are all vertebrates, or animals with backbon...

olc_006_apatosaurus_excelsus_listing

This famous long-necked, long-tailed wonder belongs to a group called "sauropods."

olc_046_byronosaurus_jaffei_listing

Named in 2000, this dinosaur is hot off the "paleo" presses! Unlike the jagged teeth of other troodontids,...

olc_140_dinoflagellates_listing

Dinoflagellates are tiny, one-celled organisms that live in oceans and freshwater ponds, rivers, and streams. Some di...

olc_181_deep_sea_listing

Far beneath the ocean's surface is a mysterious world of cold temperatures, intense pressure, and almost total darkne...

Find out where Rob has followed his born curiosity.

olc_332_thinking_listing

If there's one thing that makes humans different from other animals, it's the way we think.

olc_279_unicorn_listing

Today, unicorns are creatures of fairy tales. But thousands of years ago, people believed these creatures were real,...

Reconstruct and identify a fossil skeleton.

game + hands-on

Challenge your friends to this Mesozoic Era card game.

Test your equine knowledge in this quiz

Learn how to create a scientific illustration of a monarch butterfly in a few easy steps!

Make your own bird feeder and record your observations in a bird journal.

olc_289_arctic_listing

At the top of the world is a cold and icy area called the Arctic. It is made up of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Nort...

olc_037_trilobites_listing

Long before dinosaurs, these strange roach-like creatures scurried along the ancient sea floor.

olc_370_susan_perkins_listing

Susan Perkins has always loved being outside. As a child, she played in the woods and took field notes about birds an...

olc_327_neuron_listing

Your brain is made up of cells. Specialized cells called neurons allow you to think, feel, and move. Neurons aren't o...

olc_280_barong_listing

Despite its ferocious appearance, Barong Ket is a welcome sight in Bali, Indonesia.

olc_291_water_listing

There is nothing in the world like water. Without it, our world would be a very different place. Water covers over tw...

olc_297_fossil_fuels_listing

When you ride in a car, watch your favorite television show, or take a hot shower, you're most likely using fossil fu...

olc_298_carbon_dioxide_listing

Take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Your body just released carbon dioxide, a colorless gas that's essential to lif...

olc_086_genetics_listing

Genetics is the study of how traits are passed from one generation to another. Traits such as eye color and nose shap...

olc_139_dzanga-sangha_rain_forest_listing

The Dzanga-Sangha rain forest is alive with the sounds of snakes, chimpanzees, birds, insects, and many exotic creatu...

olc_030_cretaceous_period_listing

Many famous dinosaurs, such as T. rex and Triceratops, first appeared in the Cretaceous Period.

Send a note to a friend with these colorful letterheads.

olc_360_quetzalcoatlus_northropi_listing

Imagine a flying reptile the size of a two-seater plane! That's Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying animals eve...

olc_285_kraken_listing

The kraken is a sea monster with long, snakelike arms. This amazing creature may have been inspired by a living anima...

olc_087_field_journal_listing

When "ologists" observe plants, animals, fossils, or rocks, they know they won't remember every detail. So...

olc_340_mamenchisaurus_hochuanensis_listing

Sauropods weren't just the largest dinosaurs. They were also the largest animals to ever live on land. The sauropod M...

Ana Luz Porzecanski

When she was a kid, Ana explored the landscapes of rural Uruguay and Brazil and the many plants and animals that live...

olc_185_mark_siddall_listing

It's no wonder that most people aren't crazy about leeches. These dark, slimy worms survive by sucking blood from oth...

More than four thousand islands—including one big island—make up this nation in the Caribbean Sea.

olc_372_ influenza_listing

It started with a cough and stuffy nose. But now you're achy, feverish, and exhausted. You just might have influenza,...

Theodore Roosevelt

When he was 8 years old, Theodore Roosevelt found a seal skull. It would be the first specimen in his very own natura...

olc_319_antarctica_listing

Antarctica is like no other place on Earth. The continent is covered almost entirely by a thick ice sheet. Yet there...

olc_339_endemic_listing

You could travel the globe, but there's only one place you'd find a ruffed lemur: Madagascar. It is an endemic specie...

olc_266_pterosaurs_listing

The first vertebrates to fly took to the skies about 215 million years ago. These creatures were neither birds nor ba...

olc_277_dragon_listing

For thousands of years, the dragon has been an unmistakable symbol around the world. But this lizard-like beast doesn...

olc_290_inuit_listing

For over 1,000 years, people called the Inuit lived in the Arctic. Long ago, they relied on fishing and hunting for s...

olc_090_george_barrowclough_listing

At age 10, George Barrowclough began bird watching with his dad. He pursued his interest in birds by becoming an orni...

olc_096_rob_desalle_listing

In college, Rob DeSalle wanted to study the narwhal, an Arctic whale with an eight-foot spiral tooth.

olc_108_genome_listing

All the DNA in a cell is called a genome. Your body contains trillions of copies of the human genome -- one in each o...

olc_143_giant_kelp_listing

Think of giant kelp as the Godzilla of the seaweeds.

Find out what happens when magma rises from intensely hot areas in Earth's mantle.

What causes mountains to rise?

Did you know that all continents on Earth were once a huge supercontinent?

Find out why and how volcanoes form.

Explore the layers of our planet: the crust, mantle, and core.

Earthquakes are happening all the time. Find out more about them!

Create a flounder fish that's hard to spot!

How do horses move? Find out with these flipbooks.

Grab the magical magnifying glass and take a close look at what's living in the mangroves.

Join scientist George Amato on his quest to stop criminals smuggling illegal goods.

Have fun with these paper cutouts of riders and horse gear from cultures around the world.

Take a peek inside two paleontologists' scrapbook.

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