American Museum of Natural History
@AMNH

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. This is not a monitored account.

 New York City
amnh.org/
Joined October 2008
13,461 Photos and videos
What’s a spiny lumpsucker? No, it’s not a nickname for your ex. This fish's body shape and small fins mean that it isn’t the best swimmer, but a powerful pelvic fin helps it stick to solid surfaces, acting like a suction cup to hold it in place as it hides from predators.
A photo of a spiny lumpsucker directly facing the viewer. It is pale gray in color and round in shape, with a bumpy texture covering its body.

ALT A photo of a spiny lumpsucker directly facing the viewer. It is pale gray in color and round in shape, with a bumpy texture covering its body.

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Few things make it feel more like fall than the foliage of the red maple tree. #DYK? It sports something red all year round: in winter, it has red buds; in spring, red flowers begin to bloom; in summer, the leaf stalks turn red; & in autumn, the foliage is a vivid orange-red.🍁
A photo of many red maple leaves arranged artfully on a tree stump. The leaves vary in color from greenish to yellow to deep red.

ALT A photo of many red maple leaves arranged artfully on a tree stump. The leaves vary in color from greenish to yellow to deep red.

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#DYK? The short beaked echidna is a monotreme, meaning it’s one of the few mammals that lays eggs instead of bearing live young. And? This species is unusually long-lived, with individuals living up to 50 years in captivity. This spiky critter can weigh ~15.4 lbs (7 kg).
A photo of a short-beaked echidna on the forest floor. It is covered by blonde spiky protrusions. Its long snout is visible from beneath the bramble of spines.

ALT A photo of a short-beaked echidna on the forest floor. It is covered by blonde spiky protrusions. Its long snout is visible from beneath the bramble of spines.

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This cricket isn’t named Jiminy. Growing ~1.9 in (5 cm) long, the armored bush cricket uses powerful jaws to feed on a diet that includes leaves, other crickets, & even nestling birds. When threatened, it's able to squirt a distasteful liquid called hemolymph at foes.
A photo of a bush cricket on a human hand. The insect is large in size and grayish in color with red eyes.

ALT A photo of a bush cricket on a human hand. The insect is large in size and grayish in color with red eyes.

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What’s up? Not the ground pangolin. It spends most of its time on the ground, creating underground burrows to snooze in during daylight. At night, it uses its long tongue to slurp up insects. When threatened, it can roll up into a ball, protecting its soft body from predators.
A photo of a ground pangolin. The animal has a small head and slightly elongated snout. Its body is covered in pinecone-like scales. It has clawed feet.

ALT A photo of a ground pangolin. The animal has a small head and slightly elongated snout. Its body is covered in pinecone-like scales. It has clawed feet.

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Who’s this fuzzy noodle? That would be the long-tailed weasel. North America’s largest weasel, this nocturnal critter feeds on small mammals, insects, and birds. It inhabits the burrows of other species, but it’s also a skilled climber that can often be found in the trees.
A photo of a long-tailed weasel. It is standing on its hind legs and has an extremely long and thin torso.

ALT A photo of a long-tailed weasel. It is standing on its hind legs and has an extremely long and thin torso.

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Meet the gold-mouth sea squirt! This filter-feeder draws in water through an opening known as a siphon to devour phytoplankton and bacteria. It can be found in waters off of Southeast Asia and Australia.
A photo of a gold-mouth sea squirt. It is yellow in color with purple splashes throughout its oblong body. Its siphon hole is visible.

ALT A photo of a gold-mouth sea squirt. It is yellow in color with purple splashes throughout its oblong body. Its siphon hole is visible.

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Why does the binturong smell like buttered popcorn The answer is... pee! A chemical compound-2-acetyl-1-pyrroline-in this critter's urine is the same one found in popcorn. It uses its signature scent to mark its territory and attract mates.
A photo of the binturong. It is primarily black in color, with a gray face and long whiskers, and resembles both a cat and a bear. Its mouth is slightly open.

ALT A photo of the binturong. It is primarily black in color, with a gray face and long whiskers, and resembles both a cat and a bear. Its mouth is slightly open.

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The little pygmy possum is the smallest possum in the world. This marsupial typically weighs only 0.4 oz (10 g)—about the weight of 10 almonds. This omnivore has a taste for the nectar & pollen of flowering plants, and it can consume up to 7% of its body weight in a single day!
A photo of a little pygmy gray possum held in a human hand. The animal is tiny and gray in color, with pink hands and feet. It is about the size of a human thumb.

ALT A photo of a little pygmy gray possum held in a human hand. The animal is tiny and gray in color, with pink hands and feet. It is about the size of a human thumb.

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#OTD in 1914, Martha (the last-known living Passenger Pigeon) died at the Cincinnati Zoo. Her death—at 29 after a lifetime in captivity—marked the disappearance of her once-abundant species from the world & made her name synonymous with species extinction at human hands.
A black and white archival photo of Martha, the last-known Passenger Pigeon. She is facing away from the viewer, perched on what seems to be a branch.

ALT A black and white archival photo of Martha, the last-known Passenger Pigeon. She is facing away from the viewer, perched on what seems to be a branch.

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What color is the Australian King Parrot? 👀 If you answered red and green, you’re only partially right! Under UV light, some of its plumage has a distinctly golden hue, which is invisible to the human eye. How can you tell males and females apart? Males have red heads.
A photo of an Australian King Parrot perched on a branch. The greenery behind it is blurred. The parrot is primarily red, with green wings and a green tail.

ALT A photo of an Australian King Parrot perched on a branch. The greenery behind it is blurred. The parrot is primarily red, with green wings and a green tail.

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Ever heard of the aardwolf? It’s an insectivorous mammal that’s in the same family as the hyena. Unlike its carnivorous relatives, it’s one of a few mammals that feed exclusively on termites. In summertime, it can gobble up ~200,000 termites for its midnight meal!
A photo of an aardwolf. The animal is surrounded by a dark background. It is canine in appearance, with a body covered in tannish fur and marked with dark stripes.

ALT A photo of an aardwolf. The animal is surrounded by a dark background. It is canine in appearance, with a body covered in tannish fur and marked with dark stripes.

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Meet the giant rain frog! To survive the summer heat, this amphibian burrows underground. At about 1.8 in (4.5cm) long, it’s the largest of all rain frogs. When threatened, it can blow up like a balloon, intimidating foes with sudden roundness.
A photo of a giant rain frog held in a human hand. The frog is bloated and round. It has a pale underbelly and a brown, speckled back.

ALT A photo of a giant rain frog held in a human hand. The frog is bloated and round. It has a pale underbelly and a brown, speckled back.

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Have you ever seen a “bleeding” fungus? When the devil’s tooth is moist, it oozes striking droplets of red liquid. But this only happens when the fungus is young—as it grows, it turns brownish & stops secreting fluid. Believe it or not, this “bleeding” mushroom is not toxic!
A photo of a devil’s tooth fungi surrounded by grass. It is oozing a red blood-like fluid in droplets.

ALT A photo of a devil’s tooth fungi surrounded by grass. It is oozing a red blood-like fluid in droplets.

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This critter can spend up to 23 hours a day looking for food! Meet the Eastern mole. This dirt puppy weighs 4.9 oz (140 g)—about the weight of about two C batteries. With poor eyesight, it spends most of its life underground hunting for worms and other insects.
A photo of an Eastern mole held in a human hand. The animal has large front paws, an elongated pink snout, and a body covered in dark fur.

ALT A photo of an Eastern mole held in a human hand. The animal has large front paws, an elongated pink snout, and a body covered in dark fur.

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This archival image, snapped sometime before 1960, depicts duck-billed dinosaurs on display at the Museum. Also known as hadrosaurs, these massive herbivores were the dominant plant-eaters during the Late Cretaceous ~85 million years ago.
A photo of a man standing beside the fossilized skeletons of two gigantic hadrosaurs. One is standing on all fours while the other is posed upright on its hind legs.

ALT A photo of a man standing beside the fossilized skeletons of two gigantic hadrosaurs. One is standing on all fours while the other is posed upright on its hind legs.

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What’s that critter? It’s the lowland streaked tenrec. Its yellow & black quills provide protection from predators, but also serve as a means of communication! This animal can rattle its quill tips together, producing a high-pitched sound that’s thought to signal others.
A lowland streaked tenrec walking on leaf litter on the forest floor. It has a body shape similar to a shrew and is covered in porcupine-like quills. It has a collar of longer, yellow quills around its neck.

ALT A lowland streaked tenrec walking on leaf litter on the forest floor. It has a body shape similar to a shrew and is covered in porcupine-like quills. It has a collar of longer, yellow quills around its neck.

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Have you ever seen a glass squid? Their bodies are mostly see-through, helping them hide from predators, except for their opaque eyes. However, a light-producing organ below their eyes emits flashes, mimicking sunlight from above to camouflage them from threats lurking below.
A photo of a glass squid against a dark background. The squid is mostly transparent. It has a bulbous, nearly round body and short front tentacles.

ALT A photo of a glass squid against a dark background. The squid is mostly transparent. It has a bulbous, nearly round body and short front tentacles.

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The Warren mastodon was discovered in 1845 by a crew digging for peat fuel. Every bone in its skeleton is real—it was the first complete American mastodon skeleton found in the USA and is still one of the most complete mastodon skeletons known.
A photo of the fossilized skeleton of the Warren mastodon. It is a large, quadrupedal animal with two long, curved tusks. Its bones are brownish in color.

ALT A photo of the fossilized skeleton of the Warren mastodon. It is a large, quadrupedal animal with two long, curved tusks. Its bones are brownish in color.

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Meet one of the world’s smallest reptiles: the Nosy Hara leaf chameleon! An adult grows to be just over 1 inch (2.5 cm) long, & a juvenile can fit on the head of a match. Scientists think that its miniature size may be an extreme form of island dwarfism.
A photo of a Nosy Hara leaf chameleon on a match. The reptile is small and brown.

ALT A photo of a Nosy Hara leaf chameleon on a match. The reptile is small and brown.

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