White-tailed deer, shown in a camera trap image from the study, did not avoid hiking trails. Deer were detected less often at sites where hunting was allowed.

Hiking, Hunting Have Minor Effects on Mammals in Protected Eastern Forests

June 8, 2016

A collaborative North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and North Carolina State University study of mammals in protected Eastern forests found that hiking and hunting caused minor effects on wildlife distribution. The six-state study, part of the eMammal project, used citizen science camera traps to determine whether recreation activity disrupted wildlife in 32 protected forests…. Read More >

Ichthyology Collections Manager Gabriela Hogue stands at the far end of one row in the collections area.

Become a scientist for the day at Museum’s CitSciScribe event, June 11

RALEIGH — Want to become a scientist for the day? Researchers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences invite you to come learn about, and take part in, the importance of transcription in the study of natural science specimens. On Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can get a rare… Read More >

Can you survive an American Adventure?

New Museum exhibition asks: “Can you survive an American Adventure?”

June 1, 2016

RALEIGH — In 1607, settlers landed on the shores of America and called it home, creating the first permanent English settlement — Jamestown. Little did the colonists know that less than half of them would survive the year in this new wilderness. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences offers you a chance to test… Read More >

A Wisconsin camera trap photographed the male cougar on his record-setting trek from South Dakota to Connecticut. Faint spots in the animal’s coat can still be seen, revealing the young age of this otherwise large male. (Photo credit: Lue Vang)

A Cougar’s Epic Journey East

By D’Lyn Ford A male cougar in search of a mate traveled more than 1,500 miles from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Connecticut, leaving a trail of clues that enabled scientists to verify his odyssey. The cougar’s journey, recounted in Journal of Mammalogy, shows a wealth of evidence that scientists can use to… Read More >

Tomato Hornworm by Korab

“Nature in Colored Pencil” by The Colored Pencil Society of America opens at the Nature Art Gallery Friday, June 3

May 27, 2016

RALEIGH — The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ Nature Art Gallery presents “Nature in Colored Pencil,” artwork by the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA), featuring several local artists, Friday, June 3 through Sunday, July 31. A reception for the artists will be held on Saturday, June 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. inside… Read More >