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150 Years American Museum of Natural History

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135 Results for "fish"

Create a flounder fish that's hard to spot!

Check out these fascinating fish from Africa's lower Congo River.

What kind of person becomes an ichthyologist, a scientist who studies fish?

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...

Can poisons be used for good? Yes, and Robert will tell you why.

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_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_120_california_condor_listing

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

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

olc_184_melanie_stiassny_listing

Melanie Stiassny has been fascinated by fish from the time she was a little girl living in London. Today, Melanie is...

olc_207_ian_harrison_listing

Ian Harrison first became interested in sea life during family vacations to the southwest coast of England.

Discover how these deep sea creatures create their own light!

olc_212_coelacanth_listing

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

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_206_common_dolphin_listing

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

Make a bracelet that matches a section of DNA code from your favorite plant or animal.

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_190_cichlids_listing

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

Dive into the oceans with an ichthyologist.

olc_358_pteranodon_longiceps_listing

With its long, dramatic crest, the giant Pteranodon longiceps is easy to recognize.

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_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_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_146_habitat_listing

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

olc_179_estuaries_listing

Estuaries are places where a river meets the sea. This ever-changing ecosystem is bursting with life. Saltwater from...

Take a look at the science of where it ALL begins.

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_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_271_julie_feinstein_listing

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

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_264_confusciousornis_listing

Confuciusornis is the earliest-known toothless, beaked bird.

olc_267_redondasaurus_listing

One look at Redondasaurus, and you might think it's a crocodile. After all, it has a similar long, armored body, with...

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_239_aztec_empire_listing

During the 13th and 14th centuries, a group of people called the Aztecs flourished in Mexico. They built an advanced...

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_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_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_181_deep_sea_listing

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

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_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...

How do mammals move? Make flipbooks to see six different mammals in action.

Find out which of your traits are due to nature OR both nature and nurture.

Here's a very cool experiment that just might bring a tear to your eye. Use a blender to separate the DNA from an onion.

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

Find out what makes you different from a snail, a tree, or even your best friend!

olc_361_tupuxuara_leonardii_listing

The most dazzling feature on many pterosaurs was a spectacular head crest. Tupuxuara leonardii had one of the most im...

olc_192_giant_squid_listing

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

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_208_adriana_aquino_listing

Growing up in Argentina, Adriana Aquino loved nature, especially the ocean. As a young girl, she wondered what it wou...

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_182_mangroves_listing

Found along tropical coastlines, thick mangrove forests were once considered a nuisance, infested with mosquitoes and...

olc_193_phytoplankton_listing

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

Find out where Rob has followed his born curiosity.

From Madagascar to Indonesia, travel around the world with Museum scientists.

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_123_hellbender_listing

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

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_278_mermaid_listing

Hundreds of years ago, European sailors placed carved mermaids on the front of their ships as figureheads and told ta...

olc_344_bioluminescence_listing

A firefly's light seems rare and magical. Yet there are many living things that blink, glow, flash, and glitter. The...

olc_356_dimorphodon_macronyx_listing

Until 1828, pterosaur fossils had been found only in Germany. Then a new kind of pterosaur fossil was discovered in E...

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_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_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_214_communication_listing

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

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_178_coral_reefs_listing

Bustling with a spectacular diversity of life, coral reefs are the rain forests of the oceans.

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

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...

Send a note to a friend with these watery letterheads.

olc_099_howard_rosenbaum_listing

It's no fluke that Howard Rosenbaum is wild about whales -- especially the endangered right whales and humpback whales.

olc_096_rob_desalle_listing

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

olc_140_dinoflagellates_listing

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

Can you make it down to the ocean floor? Along the way, discover what makes water special.

olc_095_joel_cracraft_listing

Growing up, Joel Cracraft loved reading travel and adventure books. In high school, he became interested in ornitholo...

Explore this family tree of living things on Earth.

olc_007_gondwanatitan_faustoi_listing

Compared to other titanosaurs, Gondwanatitan was a peewee at only about 7.5 meters (25 feet) long.

olc_002_diatryma_gigantea_listing

This extinct bird weighed over 330 pounds and had heavy legs and tiny wings.

olc_003_tyrannosaurus_rex_listing

This "king tyrant lizard" was one of the largest carnivores that ever lived.

olc_004_alxasaurus_elesitaiensis_listing

Dug up in the Alxa Desert in China, this is the oldest and most complete therizinosaur ever found.

olc_005_pelecanimimus_polyodon_listing

This theropod belonged to a group called ornithomimids, also called "ostrich-mimics."

olc_014_eoraptor_lunensis_listing

This is one of the oldest known dinosaurs!

olc_016_presbyornis_pervetus_listing

This prehistoric relative of living ducks had a long neck, tall legs, webbed feet, and a duck-like head.

olc_118_gregor_mendel_listing

Gregor Mendel not only ate his peas, he used them to figure out how genes are passed from generation to generation. I...

olc_008_huayangosaurus_taibaii_listing

As you can tell from its body plates and tail spikes, this dinosaur is related to Stegosaurus.

olc_011_achelousaurus_horneri_listing

This horned dinosaur had two long spikes on the back of its frill, the bony extension behind its skull.

olc_013_drinker_nisti_listing

This plant-eating dinosaur was an ornithopod, as are duck-bill dinosaurs.

olc_018_velociraptor_mongoliensis_listing

This predator has fast feet, a pair of "killing claws," and more than 60 jagged teeth!

olc_036_brachiopods_listing

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

olc_001_chirostenotes_pergracilis_listing

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

olc_035_crinoids_listing

Are these rare and colorful creatures flowering plants or animals?

olc_037_trilobites_listing

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

olc_010_triceratops_horridus_listing

Its brow horns and snout horn inspired this dinosaur's name, which means "three-horned face."

olc_012_protoceratops_andrewsi_listing

This plant-eating dinosaur might have weighed as much as 225 kilograms (500 pounds)!

olc_017_stegosaurus_stenops_listing

Because of the diamond-shaped plates on its back, Stegosaurus was given a name that means "roof lizard."

olc_092_yael_wyner_listing

As a conservation geneticist, Yael tries to help endangered species by studying their DNA.

olc_093_ruffed_lemur_listing

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

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_038_fighting_dinosaurs_listing

About 80 million years ago, the carnivorous Velociraptor and the plant eating Protoceratops fought to the death.

olc_019_oviraptor_philoceratops_listing

Oviraptor was a bizarre-looking, toothless dinosaur.

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_089_gene_listing

Have you ever wondered why you look like your parents, grandparents, or siblings? It's because of your genes -- the i...

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_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_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_029_cladistics_listing

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

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_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_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_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_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_143_giant_kelp_listing

Think of giant kelp as the Godzilla of the seaweeds.

olc_144_giant_puffball_mushroom_listing

Giant puffballs aren't your typical mushrooms.

olc_145_gorgonian_fan_coral_listing

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

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_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_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_157_rosy_periwinkle_listing

Although the rosy periwinkle stands only one foot tall, in the world of medicine it's a giant.

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_136_cassava_plant_listing

Cassava is one tough plant because it can grow in poor and unfertile soil in most tropical environments. Cassava is a...

olc_006_apatosaurus_excelsus_listing

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

olc_020_mike_novacek_listing

A dinosaur book led to this paleontologist's lifelong fascination with fossils.

olc_024_central_asiatic_expedition_listing

In the 1920s, the first team of Museum paleontologists trekked to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

olc_032_psittacosaurus_mongoliensis_listing

Psittacosaurus is one of the oldest and most primitive ceratopians ever found!

olc_033_oviraptorid_embryo_listing

Museum scientists made a surprising discovery in the Gobi Desert: an egg that contained the remains of a tiny dinosau...

olc_039_gobiderma_pulchrum_listing

This rare lizard lived in the Gobi Desert about 80 million years ago.

olc_040_kryptobaatar_listing

Although extinct today, this gopher-sized mammal thrived during the Mesozoic Era for about two million years.

olc_088_dna_listing

Saying "deoxyribonucleic acid" is a real mouthful. Luckily, you can call it DNA for short.

olc_091_endangered_listing

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

olc_138_cyanobacteria_listing

Have you ever seen pond scum -- that thick, smelly layer of slime floating on the surface of the water? That's probab...

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...

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