NEWS

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 >

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 >

“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 >

Atlantic sturgeon. Illustration: Duane Raver. Fossil evidence shows that sturgeon have been around for nearly 175 million years, and likely thrived as marine neighbors of the dinosaurs. It’s no wonder then that they look prehistoric, with five rows of daunting diamond-shaped plates running the length of their bodies. In more recent history, however, sturgeon have… Read More >

Dr. Lindsay Zanno is the Head of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and an associate research professor in biological sciences at N.C. State University. Podcast Raleigh spoke with her about “her career, the [Dueling Dinosaurs] exhibit, naming dinosaurs and life at a dig site,” among other things. Dr. Lindsay Zanno, Head… Read More >