Little Brown Snake. Photo: Jeff Beane/NCMNS.

Gardening Season is Snake Season

March 25, 2022

Common (Northern) Watersnake. Photo © Lisa L. Yiannakis. As part of Reptile & Amphibian Month, Collections Manager for Live Animals Jeff Mette offers some advice about gardening during “snake season.” This month, signs of spring are arriving in North Carolina. Early flowers are blooming. Chorus frogs are calling. Worried people are posting photos of snakes to… Read More >


Dinosaurs of Antarctica 3D

‘Dinosaurs of Antarctica’ opens at NC Museum of Natural Sciences 3D Theater

March 24, 2022

It’s the coldest, windiest place on Earth. But Antarctica’s wilderness was not always frozen. Journey to the south polar landscapes of Antarctica hundreds of millions of years ago, when “Dinosaurs of Antarctica 3D” opens at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences on March 25. Roam the primitive forests and thick swamps with bizarre dinosaurs… Read More >


Grey fox in tall green grass.

Tree Cover Helps Gray Foxes Coexist with Coyotes in the Country

March 21, 2022

A new paper from Roland Kays and Arielle Parsons (who also works in the Biodiversity Lab) has been published today: As coyotes have spread outside their native range into the eastern United States, they’ve been known to harass and kill North Carolina’s two native species of fox. A new study finds that preserving tree cover… Read More >


Lavender albino reticulated python at Reptile & Amphibian Day 2016. Photo: Karen Swain/NCMNS.

These Reptiles and Amphibians Are the Most: World’s Top 7 “Herps”

March 11, 2022

Hoppy Herp Days! Instead of our usual Reptile and Amphibian Day, we’re spreading the love for all things slithery, scaly, and slimy by having a MONTH of various “herp”-themed events – including herp hikes, virtual talks, workshops and more! We’re also awarding superlatives to seven of the most remarkable reptiles and amphibians. Reptile & Amphibian… Read More >


Lined Seahorse adult

At the Museum: Seahorse breeding

February 10, 2022

Adult Lined Seahorse. Photo: Leanne Pietraniec/NCMNSClick to enlarge. Lined Seahorse fry. Photo: Elizabeth Reese/NCMNS.Click to enlarge. By Leanne Pietraniec, Curator of Fish and Invertebrates and Elizabeth Reese, Assistant Curator of Fish and Invertebrates With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love will soon be in the air at the Museum, at least in the seahorse… Read More >