Native freshwater mussels (Unionidae) from Spring River in northern Arkansas. Photo: Chris Barnhart.

Bogan’s BioScience paper reaches 1,000 citations

April 15, 2021

The loss and decline of many charismatic vertebrate species such as mammals and birds, and even of perhaps less-charming creatures such as amphibians and reptiles, has been documented and prominently featured in the popular media. However, many invertebrate species, which comprise nearly 99 percent of all animal diversity and occupy an important trophic level in the… Read More >


Eastern ratsnake - Panterophis alleghaniensis. Photo: Jeff Beane/NCMNS.

‘Short but sweet’ report sites new predator of Green Salamanders

April 8, 2021

Eastern ratsnake (Panterophis alleghaniensis). Photo: Jeff Beane/NCMNS. A recent discovery published in Herpetological Review may be short, but as co-author Jeff Beane points out, it’s still very important. Why? “Because it documents a couple of unusual things,” says Beane, the Museum’s Collections Manager for Herpetology. Green salamander (Aneides aeneus). Photo: Jeff Beane/NCMNS. New Predator of Green Salamanders… Read More >


Triceratops foot fossil in matrix. Photo: Karen Swain/NCMNS.

Dueling Dinosaurs Exhibit Update

Museum guests will get their first look at the Dueling Dinosaurs beginning Tuesday, March 30. On the second floor of the Museum’s Nature Exploration Center (NEC), an enormous foot belonging to our Triceratops will be displayed as fossil in matrix, while a foot of the tyrannosaur will be displayed in replica. The selected portions of… Read More >


Osprey with a White Perch in its talons. Photo: Ellen Tinsley.

Ask a Naturalist: Ospreys in Action

By Cindy Lincoln, Naturalist Center Coordinator One of our frequent Ask a Naturalist contributors, Ellen Tinsley, sent us this action shot of an Osprey catching a White Perch near the B. Everett Jordan Dam in Chatham County, NC. Ospreys are aptly called fish hawks, because this raptor lives almost exclusively on a diet of live… Read More >


Virtual Triangle SciTech Expo: April 19-24, 2021.

From Aye-ayes to Architecture, Museum hosts virtual Triangle SciTech Expo 2021, April 19-24

April 7, 2021

[RALEIGH, N.C.] – Learn about the aye-aye, the world’s strangest and most elusive primate, and discover how to design dwellings capable of withstanding hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and wildfires when the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences hosts Triangle SciTech Expo, April 19-24. This unique (and free) event invites scientists and technical professionals from universities, organizations… Read More >