Sir Walter Wally the groundhog

Watch from anywhere: Groundhog Day goes virtual at NC Science Museum

January 29, 2021

(RALEIGH, N.C.) — Live … from Raleigh, North Carolina … it’s Groundhog Day! Don’t miss Sir Walter Wally as he makes his annual weather prognostication, virtually, on the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ YouTube channel, Tuesday, Feb. 2. This year’s event is held from noon to 12:30 p.m. Tune in to hear Museum educators… Read More >


A white-tailed deer watches as a red fox passes by in the National Arboretum.

Thinking outside the park: camera trapping mammals in urban areas

A white-tailed deer watches as a red fox passes by in the National Arboretum. Museum Research Curator for Mammals, Dr. Michael Cove, and colleagues have published the first camera trap survey conducted throughout the Washington, DC area. Typically, camera traps are deployed in green spaces (forest preserves, greenways, golf courses), but this study deployed camera traps… Read More >


A Tayra is captured in a camera trap photo.

New World carnivore Tayras are diurnal across their range

January 27, 2021

Museum Research Curator for Mammals, Dr. Michael Cove, and colleagues have published a range-wide study of Tayras in the Journal of Mammalogy. These mustelids (related to weasels, otters, martens, etc.), some of the least-known in the New World, were found to be diurnal across their entire range. Cove has been camera trapping in Central America… Read More >


Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec

Tenrecs in torpor

Shorter days and cooler weather can bring about lots of behavioral changes in different animals. Some migrate to warmer climates, while others gather and store food for the winter season. For the Museum’s Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs (Echinops telfairi), it means settling into torpor, a period of inactivity when an animal’s body temperature, heart rate and… Read More >


Rachel inside the IRTF telescope dome.

Museum astronomer Rachel Smith interviewed about young stellar objects on Spacepod podcast

January 25, 2021

“Dr. Rachel Smith tells us about her research into young stellar objects. These new stars are surrounded by a cloud of dust that may eventually become planets. Dr. Smith also explains why she thinks it is important to physically travel to telescopes when she makes her observations.” Spacepod was created by planetary scientist Dr. Carrie… Read More >