Watch San Diego Natural History Museum staff install the griffin pediment, made in-house by NAT artists and staff, that now serves as an impressive entrance to Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science. More info: http://bit.ly/2qzwc1S.

Join paleontologists from theNAT as they collaborate with technicians from the Naval Medical Center San Diego to get a look inside the skull structure of a Columbian mammoth using high tech CT scanners.

Join our multi-disciplinary team of researchers as they head to the Sierra de las Cacachilas in Baja California Sur to study birds, plants, and insects.

Botanist Jeannie Gregory explains the process of cacti preparation for storage in an herbarium, and how that work delights the reptiles in the Museum’s live animal collection.

Museum members and visitors may recognize William Stout as the painter who created the prehistoric murals in Fossil Mysteries at theNAT, but there is much more to this talented artist than meets the eye. From film design to comic books, LP covers to T-shirts, murals to theme park design, William Stout’s attentions and talents seem to know no limits. Learn more about this artist, how he got his start, and why he digs paleoart. Stout’s murals and paintings are on permanent display at zoos, museums, and attractions across the country. Learn more about his work in Fossil Mysteries at http://bit.ly/1mjliIK.

Hop on board the Hornblower with Lena, our young whale watching enthusiast, to learn more about gray whales' migratory patterns and more. Join the Museum Whalers, museum-trained volunteer naturalists on one of these adventures: http://bit.ly/2gcqI7q.

Hear Margaret “Margi” Dykens, curator of Extraordinary Ideas from Ordinary People: A History of Citizen Science and director of the Research Library, talk about her background at the Museum and the significance of the A.R. Valentien art collection. Extraordinary Ideas, opening August 20, will feature a gallery dedicated to these works, which depict native plants of California. The A.R. Valentien gallery will display approximately 10 paintings at one time from the 1,094 pieces the Museum has in its collection. The paintings were commissioned by Ellen Browning Scripps in 1908, painted between 1908 and 1918, and donated to the Museum in 1933. Until about 15 years ago, they had been languishing in improper storage due to a lack of funds. In 1999, local philanthropist Eleanor Navarra first learned of the art collection. Shortly thereafter, she and her husband Jerome “Jerry” Navarra committed to long-term financial support, which allowed the Museum to photograph, conserve, re-house, curate, appraise, and exhibit these works of art.

In this video, San Diego Natural History Museum Mammalogist Scott Tremor discusses traits of skunks and how they operate in an urban environment. Please feel free to share this fun and informative video with your friends and family on social media using #theNAT and #PunkSkunk.

In Part II of our Punk Skunk series, San Diego Natural History Museum Mammalogist Scott Tremor discusses how skunks forage for food in the urban environment, and our friend Punk Skunk shares his favorite foods to find when dumpster diving.

In Part III of our Punk Skunk series, San Diego Natural History Museum Mammalogist Scott Tremor discusses a peculiar method skunks employ when feeding on the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

In this video, our Exhibits team shows how they administer medicine to a sick rattlesnake. Mitch is a permanent resident of theNAT and lives in Water: A California Story on Level 1 of the Museum. Learn more about reptiles and amphibians within our region by visiting our new web app, the Reptile and Amphibian Atlas of Peninsular California. http://bit.ly/1RvUhge

Join a young girl on her journey of discovery as she learns how to use the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Thanks to the research of Justin O. Schmidt, who subjected himself to hundreds of stings from 78 different species of insects, we know the relative pain of their stings and how to colorfully describe the effects. For more information on the insects of southern California and beyond, visit http://bit.ly/2rlXXw4.

Ever notice the spectacular tree outside the Museum’s north entrance? Of course you have! It’s the iconic Moreton Bay Fig tree, which—like most of the other large trees in the Prado area of Balboa Park—was planted in preparation for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition.

Enjoy a virtual visit to the Research Library at the San Diego Natural History Museum and see the famous Audubon Folio of life-size bird paintings, including the magnificent Wild Turkey.

Herpetology Collection Technician Laura Kabes provides practical advice for people who come across rattlesnakes in southern California and highlights how you can safely turn those encounters into valuable scientific observations.

Many natural history museums use beetles to help prepare specimens for their collections. Check out this time-lapse of dermestid beetles preparing two bat skeletons for our Mammology Department, narrated by Curator of Entomology Dr. Michael Wall.

Did you know theNAT has an entire library of specimens that can be checked out for use by artists, teachers, scholars, school groups, or anyone with an interest in natural science? Education Collection Manager Lauren Marino gives us a peek into the Nature to You Loan Program and answers some frequently asked questions about the taxidermied specimens.

Jim Melli, manager of theNAT’s live animal exhibit program, explains how his lifelong fascination with animals makes him perfectly suited to care for the animals we use in our exhibits and programs, and tells us why it is important to create animal encounters for our visitors.