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Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs
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Transcript of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of DinosaursA NEW EXHIBITION LANDS AT NHM
The Magazine of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyJune and July 2016
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NHM.ORG/nature
Fridays, July 8 and July 22Awaken your senses with music, garden-inspired cocktails, botanical tours, food trucks, and more. Free with RSVP! Visit NHM.ORG/summernights.
Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26Join us for a two-day
celebration of nature
in our city!
Visit NHM.ORG/naturefest
for tickets and information.
THE NEW BUTTERFLY PAVILIONOpening This SummerSee more than 30 butterfly species
flying in their new, open-air habitat.
SUMMER NIGHTS
IN THE GARDEN
L.A. URBAN NATURE FEST
Nature Fest and Summer Nights in the Garden are sponsored by
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When I walk through the Museum’s remarkable exhibi-
tion halls and gardens, I am excited to see how visitors
become transfixed by a particular creature or object
that speaks to them. It could be, for instance, a sparkling
mineral, a migrating bird, an ancient Aztec vessel, or a
dinosaur bone.
What is equally thrilling to me is the scientific
research that is behind these incredible displays.
Scientists at NHM and the La Brea Tar Pits and
Museum are undertaking groundbreaking research
that is making the Museum experience richer and
more relevant for visitors now and in the future.
Museum scientists — you’ll read about a few of
them in this issue — travel across the world to bring
their discoveries back to NHM to study. Mineralogists
are researching minerals, on display in the Gem and
Mineral Hall, which can remove toxins from the environ-
ment. Paleontologists travel to Utah to excavate fossils
of long-necked dinosaurs, and visitors can see them
being worked on in the Dino Lab. The specimens that
scientists discover, when compared to the historical
data from NHM’s vast collections, can help us answer
questions relating to climate change, evolution, and
wildlife habitats close to home. NHM’s vast collections
of more than 15 million marine specimens, for example,
help us understand how animals are surviving and
adapting to changing ocean environments today. It is
a mission that we explore with visitors every day — how
life on this planet is changing and why that matters.
I invite you to stop in and see the collections you
haven’t seen before, knowing that each object started as
a discovery. Whether they are treasures of the ancient
peoples of the Americas in the Visible Vault or birds in
the Bird Hall or Nature Gardens, we invite you to share
their stories.
2 Briefs
4 Pterosaurs Exhibition Opens
10 A New Butterfly Pavilion Opens
13 Join the Nature Crowd
14 Our Super Mineral Man
15 Fossil Hunters in the Tropics
16 Events
Image: Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, a new temporary exhibition, opens July 1. Pterosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org).
The Naturalist magazine is a publication of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and is issued six times a year. As a Member benefit, each issue provides a look at Museum exhibits, collections, adventures, research, and events. Through them, we inspire wonder, discovery, and responsibility for our natural and cultural worlds.
Science Out Front
Institutional Partner
Signature Sponsors
Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga President and Director
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For one week this spring, we launched
a friendly competition — the City
Nature Challenge, L.A. vs. S.F. —
and won! In the collaborative contest
between NHM's Urban Nature
Research Center and the California
Academy of Sciences, citizen scientists
in L.A. and the Bay Area battled to
see who could submit the most photos
of wildlife, document the most species,
and pull in the highest number of
participants. NHM’s winning tally
(with S.F. not that far behind) was
more than 10,600 observations!
Angelenos — who mostly sub-
mitted through social media with
#natureinla and the iNaturalist free
app and website — took pictures of
more than 16,450 species, including
some surprising finds that will help
Museum scientists research L.A.’s
biodiversity. One photo showed a
ladybug and gopher snake as inter-
species friends. Two photos of mating
alligator lizards will help scientists
studying the timing of the reptile’s
mating season.
Miguel Ordeñana, a Citizen
Science Coordinator at NHM, says
a picture of the California mountain
lion “P-22” proved a fitting end to
the nature-discovery showdown.
“He showed up on my camera trap
in Griffith Park on the last night of
the contest, just before we overtook
San Francisco in the middle of the
night.” Can’t wait for the rematch
in 2017, and we’ve already got other
cities interested in participating!
Citizen science is a never-ending journey to let us (and your fellow Angelenos) know the wildlife that’s out there! Submit your sightings to the iNaturalist app or website, via social media with #natureinla, or e-mail photos with time and location information to [email protected].
Keep Looking!
Above images, clockwise from top left: L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas participates in the City Nature Challenge; gopher snake and seven-spotted ladybug; Mayor Eric Garcetti taking photo of snail at City Hall; California mountain kingsnake; greenhouse slug; a camera trap image of P-22, a mountain lion in Griffith Park; western fence lizards.
Visit NHM.ORG/nature for more information.
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The Director of the Museum’s Nature
Gardens, Carol Bornstein, has just
received a coveted award — Horti-
culturist of the Year — bestowed by
the Southern California Horticultural
Society on a person “who makes a
significant contribution to horticultural
and botanical knowledge.” It is a
fitting honor, as Bornstein, a virtual
encyclopedia botanical, oversees
the 3 ½-acre landscape of more than
600 native and nonnative plants
designed to be habitat for wildlife.
She is the co-author of two books,
the award-winning California Native
Plants for the Garden and Reimagining
the California Lawn: Water-conserving
Plants, Practices, and Designs. This
honor also acknowledges the many
plants that she has introduced to
the landscape industry. Several of
the 14 plants she’s named, including
De La Mina lilac verbena and silver
carpet California aster, are growing
in the Nature Gardens. “I live and
breathe plants, and it’s wonderful to
witness how the gardens heighten
our visitors’ appreciation of nature.”
Our Award- winning Director
Visit HARTMUSEUM.ORG for more information.
Visit TARPITS.ORG for more information.
For plant-growing tips, visit the Your Garden page on NHM.ORG/nature.
Natural History Family of Museums
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
Summer in Pit 91Pit 91 is moving into its busy summer
season and that means visitors will
catch excavators from the La Brea
Tar Pits and Museum at work 15 feet
below them in the asphalt seeps.
Pit 91 has yielded spectacular finds
over the years, including: skulls
of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves,
horses, giant ground sloths, and
a short-faced bear.
The microfossils unearthed
there, including freshwater shells,
seeds, insects, fish, reptiles, birds,
and small mammals, are treasures
too. Recently, research on fossil
insects, for example, is helping to
illuminate how L.A.’s climate and
habitat has changed over the past
40,000 years. NHM’s knowledgeable
Gallery Interpreters and volunteers
will be on hand at the active excava-
tions and inside the Museum to
share with visitors surprising details
about what these discoveries are
revealing about Ice Age L.A.
William S. Hart Museum
Reading at HartWilliam S. Hart was a world-famous
swashbuckling silent-movie star.
He was also an author who was
committed to opening up that
Western cowboy world to all of his
fans. When visitors take a tour of
the Hart Museum, they’ll see a book
written in Braille — the tactile writing
system used by the blind and visually
impaired — on display in the Guest
Bedroom. The novel, Hoofbeats,
written by Hart in 1933, is a fast-
moving Western thriller with “cowboys,
hidden treasure, troopers, mustangs,
and guns,” according to the book’s dust
jacket. The museum’s collection also
includes a three-volume Braille version
of Hart’s autobiography, My Life East
and West. Hart’s investment in books
for the visually impaired is attributed
to the fact that when he was young,
his father, Nicholas, almost lost his
eyesight to an injury. Visitors to the
hilltop mansion will see hundreds
of other Western artifacts and movie
memorabilia, each with a unique story
to share.Find Bornstein’s books at the Museum Store and at SHOP.NHM.ORG.
Image by Mario de Lopez
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WINGED REPTILES
TOUCH DOWN AT NHM!
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Size aside, pterosaurs also evolved to have
many modes of locomotion. They flew with their
fingers, for instance, and walked on their wings.
Dr. Nathan Smith, Associate Curator of the
Museum’s Dinosaur Institute, says pterosaurs
often suffer from mistaken identity. Though they
fly, they aren’t birds or bats. While they aren’t
dinosaurs, they evolved from the same family tree
as those charismatic giants. “One way to think about
it is that more than 250 million years ago, little
long-legged reptiles were running around as terres-
trial predators, and then two paths diverged in that
reptilian world,” Smith says. “Dinosaurs ultimately
became giant terrestrial predators and herbivores,
while pterosaurs took to the air.”
The largest exhibition about these flying reptiles in
the United States, Pterosaurs pulls visitors into the
sweeping story of the first animals with backbones
to fly under their own power. As they move through
the galleries, visitors will see life-size models,
interactive exhibits that will immerse them in the
mechanics of pterosaur flight, as well as the latest
research discoveries — all part of a self-propelled
adventure through the dinosaur age.
Instantly, visitors will marvel at the incredible
diversity of pterosaurs. More than 150 species of
all shapes and sizes spread across the planet over a
period of 150 million years until they went extinct
66 million years ago. Some pterosaurs were gigantic,
as large as a two-seater plane. Others could fit in
the palm of a hand. As they enter the gallery, visitors
will encounter full-size models of one of the largest
and one of the smallest pterosaur species ever found:
the colossal Tropeognathus mesembrinus, with a
wingspan of more than 25 feet, soaring overhead
and the sparrow-size Nemicolopterus crypticus, with
a wingspan of 10 inches, displayed nearby.
Above: This large pterosaur species, Thalassodromeus sethi, had a crest three times larger than the entire rest of its skull and a wingspan of 14 feet. © AMNH 2014
When visitors step into the temporary exhibition Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, they will swiftly take off into an ancient world where the skies were ruled by the winged reptiles, and dinosaurs, their close cousins, dominated the land.
MEMBER PREVIEW DAYS
Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2
Timed tickets available now.
Visit nhm.org/pterosaurs
Free for Members
Pterosaurs is sponsored by Hasbro and Macy’s
Opposite page: The colossal Tropeognathus mesembrinus model soars overhead at the entrance to the exhibition, above. © AMNH/R. Mickens; the Fly Like a Pterosaur exhibit, where visitors can “pilot” a flying pterosaur over a prehistoric landscape in a whole-body interactive exhibit, below. © AMNH/D. Finnin.
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independence of pterosaurs when they peek inside
a cast that reveals a pterosaur curled up, its wings
wrapped around its body, ready to be unfurled.
The exhibition continues with a section devoted
to how these reptiles lived on land. When pterosaurs
walked, they used all four limbs. Proof of these
ancient quadrupedal strides is on display — a sand-
stone slab from Utah that is marked with criss-
crossing pterosaur tracks. And often when pterosaurs
ambled around in the Mesozoic Era, they had com-
pany. The exhibition offers proof — a cast fossil from
Morocco shows footprints of pterosaurs and dino-
saurs treading on the same stones. Just like birds,
they landed between flights to rest, eat, find shelter,
and lay eggs before becoming airborne again.
PTEROSAUR MEET DINOSAUR
Meet Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the colossal pterosaur with
a wingspan of around 33 feet! Discovered by a geology student
in southwestern Texas, Quetzalcoatlus was larger than any other flying animal known.
KING OF THE AIR
Nathan Smith, Associate Curator of NHM’s Dinosaur
Institute, says this scene could have happened in the
Late Cretaceous, 69 million years ago in what is now Texas.
This massive Quetzalcoatlus might have swooped down while
hunting for prey and buzzed the head of a Tyrannosaurus
during the end of the Mesozoic Era when pterosaurs and
dinosaurs thrived together on Earth. Dr. Smith says other
terrestrial giants, such as the long-necked titanosaur sauropod
Alamosaurus, which stretched about 90 feet from head to
tail, may well have experienced this pterosaur fly-by too.
EVERYWHERE, PTEROSAURS
The exhibition organizes the mind-bendingly long
history of pterosaurs on Earth into sections, each of
which explores the three environments where the
versatile and varied pterosaur species thrived: land,
air, and water. Since pterosaur fossils are extremely
scarce, and their closest living relatives — crocodiles
and birds — are vastly different, even the most
elementary questions of how these extinct animals
flew, fed, mated, and raised their young are still
mysteries. But recent discoveries have provided
new clues.
A cast of an exquisitely preserved fossil ptero-
saur egg, found in China in 2004, shows that the
young reptiles were likely primed for flight soon after
hatching. Visitors will see evidence of the early
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TALKING PTEROSAURS WITH DR. MICHAEL HABIB
Q&A
Dr. Michael Habib, Research Associate with NHM’s Dinosaur Institute and the exhibition’s consulting scientist, talks about pterosaur anatomy, what they ate, and his favorite flyers.
N You’re an expert on flight. Which
wing is better, a bird’s or a pterosaur’s? H Neither is better, really. Feathered
wings are typically better for going
very fast and the membrane wing is
better for flying more slowly, and for
big animals. The fastest flying animal
on Earth is a bird. The biggest flying
animal on Earth was a pterosaur.
N Did pterosaurs start to fly soon
after they hatched? H As far as we can tell, they could
fly right away. Babies weren’t helpless
and probably didn’t require parental
care in order to survive. They came
out and off they went.
N What did those babies eat?H Commonly, baby reptiles eat
higher-protein meals than the adults.
That’s because babies are growing and
need a higher intake of food. Many
baby pterosaurs likely started out on
insects. But that first meal is going to
be whatever it could fit in its face,
pretty much.
N How did they live so long on Earth —
for 150 million years?H In general, in terms of evolution, we
can measure success as having either
lots of species, or lasting a long time, or
being really widespread. In the history
of life, all four groups of powered flying
animals — insects, birds, bats, and
pterosaurs — have done all three things.
N Are pterosaur fossils hard to
excavate?H Yes, because pterosaurs could
fly to places that are remote. There
are probably millions of pterosaurs
that died over the open ocean, on
a mountain slope, or over a desert
that we will never find.
N Do you have a favorite?H Yes, it’s Quetzalcoatlus, a pterosaur
that soars on thermals over long
distances on land. It’s an animal that’s
become a signature of my work. The
close runner-up would be Anhanguera,
a long-winged marine animal. It has
fantastically weird anatomy, even as
pterosaurs go. It’s got an enormous
head, huge wings, and the pelvis and
abdomen are miniscule. It was an
ocean-crossing champion. It could
probably go months at sea if it wanted.
Above photo by Gus Ruelas.
On the Dinosaur Hall’s
mezzanine, look for rare
trackways and a giant,
crested Pteranodon longiceps.
Hint: Here’s Dr. Nathan Smith,
Associate Curator of NHM’s
Dinosaur Institute, standing
in front of the display.
FIND THE PTERANODON IN THE DINOSAUR HALL
Opposite page: Illustration of Quetzalcoatlus northropi © John Sibbick; illustration of T. rex by the Dinosaur Institute’s Stephanie Abramowicz. Above: Dr. Nathan Smith, Associate Curator of NHM’s Dinosaur Institute, in the Dinosaur Hall. Photo by Deniz Durmus. Watch a Pterosaurs video, featuring
Dr. Habib, at YOUTUBE/nhmla.
Find out from an
NHM paleontologist!
Take the quiz,
starting in July, at
NHM.ORG/pterosaurs.
WHICH PTEROSAUR
ARE YOU?N
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Flight allowed pterosaurs to travel long dis-
tances, exploit new habitats, escape predators, and
swoop down from above to seize their prey. Each
visitor to Pterosaurs will have a chance to experience
that adventure in the Fly Like a Pterosaur whole-body
interactive exhibit. Visitors can “pilot” two species
over several prehistoric landscapes — forest, sea,
and volcano —and experiment with the principles of
pterosaur aerodynamics in a virtual wind tunnel that
responds to the movements of their hands.
After they land, they’ll see displays nearby
that reveal how the King of the Air, with its heavy
muscles, was able to rule the skies. Pterosaurs
were biomechanical marvels. Their wing bones,
for instance, were lightweight hollow tubes with
walls no thicker than a playing card. The wings were
also stabilized by long fibers that allowed them
to be stretched taut or folded up like a fan. Other
flight-enhancing engineering qualities include a
longer ring finger that made it easier for the reptile
to steer and a membrane on the tail for balance.
GONE FISHING
Having traversed the land and air with pterosaurs,
visitors can greet reptiles of very different shapes
and sizes in the next section — water. They’ll notice
that some pterosaurs soared above oceans and lakes,
diving to catch fish or sea animals, while others may
have walked through shallow waters and congregated
in flocks. Thalassodromeus, which means “sea runner,”
would glide over the water while dipping its narrow
jaws to snatch fish on the surface. It had a 14-foot
wingspan and a large, flat head crest that may have
helped it slice through the water without wiping out.
Another water lover was Pterodaustro, a pterosaur
species that scooped up food and seawater, and
An interactive display
shows that the feeding
habits of pterosaurs
varied widely, ranging
from Pteranodon diving
for fish, to Jeholopterus
chasing insects through
the air. Tapejara, above,
probably ate fruits and
seeds from trees.
WHAT DID THEY EAT?
FLIGHT OF
THE PTEROSAUR
When visitors tilt their heads
up at the entrance to the next
section — air — they’ll see the
exhibition’s superstar overhead:
a full-size model of a 33-foot-
wingspan Quetzalcoatlus
northropi, the world’s largest
flying animal. (Quetzalcoatlus
also towered around 16 feet high
when parked on all four limbs.)
Nearby that colossus are the fossil
remains of another pterosaur
unearthed in Romania just a few
years ago, which point to a new
species that was even stronger
and heavier than Quetzalcoatlus.
Above photo: Two Thalassodromeus pterosaurs swoop down to catch Rhacolepis fish in their toothless jaws in this large diorama showing a detailed re-creation of a dramatic Cretaceous seascape. © AMNH/R. Mickens
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VIP OPENING RECEPTIONThursday, July 7, 6:30–9:30 pmMembers at the $2,000 Fellows level and above are invited to a private opening reception of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, with cocktails and NHM experts. Join the Fellows today by visiting NHM.ORG/fellows or calling 213.763.3253.
PALEO PTALKPALEO ADVENTURES! FIELD STORIES BY REAL PALEONTOLOGISTSTuesday, July 12, 6–9 pm Picks, shovels, brushes, wind, and dirt. Get the inside scoop on fossil excavation! Join us for an evening with NHM’s Dinosaur Institute paleontologists as they share their adventures from the field. Following the discussion, take a tour of our Dinosaur Hall and Pterosaurs.
FAMILY DAYS Saturday, July 16, and
Sunday, August 14, 10 am–3 pm Bring the family and take part in special weekend programming to learn more about these ancient kings of the sky. Meet Museum paleontologists, see rare specimens from our collections, and spread your creative wings with hands- on activities.
PTEROSAURS, DAY AND NIGHT
Free for Members.For more information, visit NHM.ORG/pterosaurs.
Sponsored by Hasbro and Macy's.
used many bristle-like teeth to strain out the tiny
prey. Flamingos and baleen whales do that today.
(In Age of Mammals, see ancient baleen whales
“swimming” overhead.)
Visitors will be able to dive deeper into the
world of Pterodaustro at the exhibit’s iPad stations
and see animations of different species of pterosaurs
flying, walking, eating, and displaying crests. They
can explore behavior and anatomy and see video
clips featuring commentary from curators and
other experts.
“Pterosaurs inspire us like few animals do,”
says Dr. Michael Habib, a Research Associate with
the Museum’s Dinosaur Institute and the exhibition’s
science consultant. “Something about large, flying
reptiles from the distant past kind of feels alien to
us, but they were real animals and that makes them
all the more fascinating.”
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org).
MEMBER PREVIEW DAYS
Friday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2
Timed-tickets available now.
Visit nhm.org/pterosaurs
Free for Members
Pterosaurs developed unique adaptations for flight, including thin, hollow bones. Inspection scope stations invite visitors to compare pterosaur bones with those of a dinosaur, a reptile, a mammal, and a bird. ©AMNH/D. Finnin
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Inside the Butterfly Pavilion, which opens this
summer, hundreds of winged wonders will be
flitting around in all-new digs. In our airy and
roomier Pavilion, visitors will delight in the more
than 30 species of butterflies that have taken
up residence there. They may stop to admire a
chrysalis and marvel as colorful winged creatures
alight on nectar-filled flowers. They will spot
monarchs, gulf fritillary, and western swallow-
tails flitting around the butterfly bush or Allen
Chickering sage. NHM’s Gallery Interpreters
will be in the Pavilion, too, to help with butterfly
identification, and to offer tidbits about meta-
morphosis and butterfly anatomy.
In the Nature Gardens, the immersion into
all-things-butterfly continues. The Museum’s
botanical showroom of water-thrifty plants
features 600-plus species of native and non-
native plants that grow well in Southern
California’s Mediterranean climate. The Nature
Gardens’ Pollinator Garden, in particular, is
a butterfly magnet. Visitors will see a host of
them getting a dose of the sugary nectar of lilac
verbena and California aster. They may also spot
the cloudless sulphur, which lays eggs on the
flower tips of the feathery cassia plants. Whether
outside in the gardens or in the new Pavilion,
visitors are certain to see a bevy of show-
stoppers in flight. An Improved Butterfly Home Comes to NHM Visit NHM.ORG/butterflies
for more information.
Butterflies!FIRST STOP
A NEW BUTTERFLY PAVILION OPENS
Photography by Mario de Lopez
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We've launched a new print-
on-demand website so you can
bring stunning photographs from
the Museum's collections and
gardens home. Pick from dozens
of prints of botanicals, gems,
minerals, insects, and dioramas.
Members receive a 10% discount.
Visit prints.nhm.org!
The Art of Nature
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NHM’s popular adults-only sleepover is back, featuring curator presentations, a scavenger hunt, and a munchie buffet with craft beer and wine. Must be 21 or older. Visit NHM.ORG/sleepovers.
Spend an ALL-NIGHTER
at NHMFriday, June 17Buggy Nights: Insects in Tinsel Town
Saturday, July 16 Up OWL Night
RSVP required. Call 213.763.3499 or e-mail [email protected]. Free for Members at the Patron Family– level ($220) and higher.
L.A. has been a coastal town for millions of years, and we have the fossilized remains of sea creatures in our collection to prove it! Come see snapshots of L.A. with an NHM paleontologist.
18JUNE
SEAFOOD THROUGH TIME
Members at the $2,000 Fellows level and above are invited to a private cocktail reception for the new temporary exhibition, Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs.
Join the Fellows today by visiting NHM.ORG/fellows or call 213.763.3253.
VIP Opening Reception Thursday, July 7, 6:30–9:30 pm
Sponsored by
Learn about sponges, from reefs to fiber optics, with an NHM scientist!
SPONGES: BEYOND THE BATHTUB9
JULY
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org).
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NHM has a new hub for the exploration of L.A.
nature — and you are a huge part of it! The Museum’s
Urban Nature Research Center (just a few months
old) brings together NHM scientists, citizen scien-
tists, and educators in the largest urban biodiversity
survey in the world. Participants are helping scien-
tists to gather data that will help to spotlight ways
to boost and sustain the incredible biodiversity here,
and ultimately make L.A. a more hospitable place
for wildlife — and us — to thrive.
To support the UNRC we recently kicked
off a new crowdfunding campaign. Every day, we
are reaching out to nature, science, and history
enthusiasts, who have not only made monetary
contributions but have also connected with our
scientists to support their work in other ways.
So far, donors have helped spread the word about
the UNRC, submitted photos for citizen science
events, and even brought in specimens for the
L.A. Spider Survey. Donations have supported
essential science gear and research supplies, such
as a drum of ethanol for preserving specimens,
a high-quality microscope, and a weather station
to monitor local temperature and rainfall.
We collaborate with UNRC scientists to
develop donation-reward levels that coincide with
their research and interests. For instance, the
$250 level includes admission for two to Fine Wine
and Flies on June 15, where NHM Entomologist
Emily Hartop will teach you to draw a distinguishing
feature of phorid fly species while you enjoy wine
and crudité. Other premiums include lizarding field
trips, lunch with a curator, and a BioBlitz of your
backyard by the UNRC team.
Help us hit our $120,000 goal. Give to the
UNRC today!
Visit NHM.ORG/unrcgive
for more information.Donate to the Urban Nature Research Center
By Bailee DesRocher If you would like to donate products that will help UNRC scientists, please call 213.763.3253.
To explore sponsorship or make a gift online, visit NHM.ORG/nhmnext.
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MINERALSPretty and Practical
Fluorite(shown below)
used in toothpaste
Kaolinite a thickening agent in milkshakes
Perovskite used for new types of high-capacity batteries, solar cells, and in fiber optics.
The otherworldly crystals that
sparkle in a rainbow of colors in the
Gem and Mineral Hall are, no doubt,
stunners. But minerals can also save
lives and help clean up the planet,
and Dr. Aaron Celestian, NHM’s
new Associate Mineralogy Curator,
knows all about that.
Dr. Celestian, who received
his bachelor of science degree in
geology from the University of
Arizona and both master’s and
doctorate degrees from Stony Brook
University, says his mission is to probe
the secrets of how Earth materials
grow, and then unlock their power
to promote public health. A lot of
environmental problems, he says,
have to do with heavy metals —
products of fuel cycles or industrial
processes — and he’s adept at figuring
out how to deactivate them. Celestian
helped to develop a mineral that
neutralizes a toxin found in radio-
active soil. Now, children in Fukushima,
Japan, which in 2011 suffered a nuclear
disaster, can eat their vegetables
grown in heavily contaminated soil
and not get sick. Celestian’s minerals
research has also helped to create
drug therapies to treat vexing
medical conditions.
“Radioactive waste, CO2 in
the atmosphere, heavy metals in the
environment — we can use minerals
to help clean those up,” he says.
“There’s a huge potential impact.”
At NHM, he plans to keep growing
the gem and mineral collection —
the biggest in the Western U.S. —
for other researchers locally and
around the world to study.
A professor for eight years before
coming to NHM, Celestian sees the
place as one very large, fun classroom.
In the Gem and Mineral Hall
amidst the children marveling at
the displays, he points out one of
his favorites — mesolite. This mineral,
which resembles a bright white
porcupine, has a surprising practical
application close to home. It breaks
down hydrocarbons, he says, and
so could one day be employed to clean
tar off of the fossilized bones of Ice
Age creatures that are being excavated
daily at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Fluorite is one of hundreds
of sparklers in the Gem and Mineral Hall.
Visit the Gem and Mineral Hall’s Gem Vault and see Celestian’s favorite gems — African opals that shoot out holographic rainbows.
Written by Jessica Portner Above: Dr. Aaron Celestian, NHM’s new Associate Mineralogy Curator, in the Gem and Mineral Hall. Photo by Deniz Durmus.
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Fossil Hunters in the Tropics
To discover fossils, some Museum
paleontologists drill into stone in the
desert heat or brave chilly mountain
climbs, while others search for the
remains of ancient creatures in more
hospitable locales. NHM’s Invertebrate
Paleontology Collections Manager
Dr. Austin Hendy and Assistant
Curator of Marine Mammals Dr. Jorge
Velez-Juarbe returned recently from
the beaches and jungles of Panama.
They combed road construction sites
and coastal cliffs for the remains of
the sea dwellers of ancient marine
eco-systems in order to bring speci-
mens back to the Museum to study.
Their fieldwork involved explor-
ing sites both along the Caribbean
coastline and in Panama’s Chiriquí
Province. Their discoveries may help
solve the controversial question of
when the Isthmus of Panama formed
and the Central American Seaway —
an ancient body of water that was
once a highway of marine bio-
diversity — slowed to a trickle.
Early in the trip they found
toothed whale fossils and part of a
skull of a seven-million-year-old
baleen whale, discoveries that will
help them piece together the evolu-
tionary history of these ocean giants.
On their last day in the field, the
pair found a tooth of the ancestor
of Carcharocles megalodon, a shark
that lived 16 million years ago and
was about the size of a school bus.
“We could look down at our
feet, like we were walking on an
ancient seafloor,” says Velez-Juarbe.
Hendy added: “You can imagine the
scenario — 20 million years ago, large
sharks feeding on the fish, barnacles
living on whales and nautiluses
washing up on the sand of nearby
tropical beaches.”
Even in paradise, there are
fossil-hunting challenges. Despite
construction and coastal erosion,
tropical jungle vegetation soon takes
over and destroys what has been
exposed. Back at NHM, with their
marine bounty, they will set to work
digitally cataloging their collections
to share with researchers from around
the world. “This is a window into
a critical period of ecological and
evolutionary change,” says Hendy,
“one that we are hopefully helping
to open up to the world.”
Hear Dr. Austin Hendy, NHM’s Invertebrate Paleontology Collections Manager reveal his latest discoveries at a Scavenger’s Safari on June 18.
18JUN
Above: NHM's Assistant Curator of Marine Mammals, Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe, excavating a whale from seven-million-year-old marine deposits along the Caribbean coast of Panama. Photo by Austin Hendy.
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Events
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs Member Preview DaysFriday, July 1, and Saturday, July 2Bring your entire family to marvel at this fascinating temporary exhibition that brings to life a 200-million-year-old world where the skies were ruled by these winged creatures, and dinosaurs — their close cousins — dominated the land. Visit NHM.ORG/pterosaurs.
VIP Opening Reception for PterosaursThursday, July 7, 6:30–9:30 pmMembers at the $2,000 Fellows level and above are invited to a private opening reception for our latest temporary exhibition. Enjoy cocktails and conversations with NHM experts and get an exclusive look at this extremely successful group of flying reptiles. Join the Fellows today by visiting NHM.ORG/fellows or calling 213.763.3253.
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs CelebrationSaturday, July 30, 8–11 amMembers at the Patron level and higher are invited to celebrate Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs with an exclusive morning exhibition viewing, a hands-on activity, and a private walkthrough of the brand new Butterfly Pavilion. Complimentary breakfast will be provided. RSVP at nhm.org/patronparty. Not a Member at the Patron level ($220) or higher? Visit NHM.ORG/upgrade or call 213.763.3499.
For more information about all events, visit NHM.ORG/calendar.
JUNE
Overnight Adventure Once Upon a Butterfly6:30 pm Saturday, June 11 to 9 am Sunday, June 12 for Girls OnlyFlutter over for this sweet, nectar-filled sleepover that will inspire your Junior Entomologist to be a lepidopterist, a person who specializes in the study of moths and butterflies. Enter the enchanting world of butterflies as seen through the eyes of two of the tiniest fairy-tale characters. For girls only with accompanying adult.
All-NighterBuggy Nights: Insects in Tinsel Town7 pm Friday, June 17– 8 am Saturday, June 18NHM’s popular adult-only sleepover is back! Put on your fancy PJs for an ultimate “nerd chic” experience with music, trivia, craft beer and wine, and a munchie buffet. Hear a curatorial talk with Assistant Collections Manager of Entomology Emily Hartop and get a behind-the-scenes tour with Assistant Collections Manager of Entomology Lisa Gonzalez. For adults 21 years and older. Register at NHM.ORG/sleepovers.
Camp Tar PitsFriday to Saturday, June 25–26, 6:30 pm–9 amLearn about the La Brea Tar Pits and the titans that lived there during the last Ice Age by experiencing the Titans of the Ice Age 3D film! Register online at NHM.ORG/overnights. For children with accompanying adult.
Events with this icon are reserved for Members. Visit NHM.ORG/renew or call 213.763.3426 to upgrade your membership.
Members Only
Scavenger’s Safari:Seafood Through TimeSaturday, June 18L.A. has been a coastal town for millions of years, and we have the fossilized remains of sea creatures in our collection to prove it! Come see snapshots of L.A. with an NHM paleontologist. RSVP required. Call 213.763.3499 or e-mail [email protected]. Free for Members at the Patron level ($220) and higher.
Sponges: Beyond the BathtubSaturday, July 9Learn about sponges, from reefs to fiber optics, with an NHM scientist! RSVP required. Call 213.763.3499 or e-mail [email protected]. Free for Members at the Patron level ($220) and higher.
Butterfly Pavilion This summer, be the first to see more than 30 native North American butterfly species and an array of plants in a new living habitat! Free for Members. Timed-tickets required. Visit NHM.ORG/butterflies for more information.
L.A. Urban Nature FestivalSaturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26Join us for a two-day celebration of nature in the city! Don't forget to pick up your free gift, while supplies last. Nature Fest is sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Members Only
Pterosaurs programs are sponsored by
Members receive free admission to all programs unless otherwise noted.
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Ongoing Activities
ONGOING AT NHM Dinosaur EncountersGet closer to dinosaurs than you ever thought possible in these amazingly real performances.
Gallery Exploration TourIn NHM’s award-winning tour, a Gallery Interpreter takes you on a journey featuring a new fascinating topic each day.
Gallery Highlights TourJoin a Gallery Interpreter and explore Museum highlights, including the Dinosaur Hall.
Meet a Live AnimalDrop by to meet different animals daily, from bugs to boas.
Nature Gardens Exploration:Looking CloserExplore the habitats of Los Angeles right here in our own backyard.
For a schedule, visit NHM.ORG/calendar.
ONGOING AT THE LA BREA TAR PITS AND MUSEUMIce Age EncountersCome face to face with our Saber-toothed Cat — don’t worry, she’s a puppet — and learn about life in the Ice Age.
Titans of the Ice Age Journey to a world lost in time, buried in ice, and ruled by giants in this exciting 3D film. Free for Members. For information, visit TARPITS.ORG/titans.
Presented by
L.A. Urban Nature FestivalSaturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26A two-day celebration of nature in the city! Museum scientists and local nature experts are joining forces for a weekend filled with hands-on, fun family activities, including live animal presentations, workshops, behind- the-scenes tours and more. Visit NHM.ORG/nature. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
JULY
Summer Nights in the GardenFridays, July 8 and July 22Awaken your senses with great music, garden-inspired cocktails, hands-on garden and science projects, botanical tours, food trucks, and more. Visit the Members Lounge to participate in a hands-on craft, enjoy complimentary snacks, and access a private cash bar. Visit NHM.ORG/summernights. Summer Nights in the Garden is sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Paleo PtalkPaleo Adventures! Field Storiesby Real PaleontologistsTuesday, July 12, 6–9 pm Picks, shovels, brushes, wind, and dirt. Get the inside scoop on fossil excavation! Join us for an evening with NHM’s Dinosaur Institute paleontologists as they share their adventures from the field. Following the discussion, take a tour of our Dinosaur Hall and temporary exhibition, Pterosaurs.
Pterosaurs: Family Days Saturday, July 16, and Sunday, August 14, 10 am–3 pm Forget the beach. This summer, NHM is celebrating pterrific pterosaurs! Let your imagination soar with a visit to our temporary exhibition. Bring the family and take part in special weekend programming to learn more about these prehistoric kings of the sky. Meet Museum paleontologists, see rare specimens from our collections, and spread your creative wings with hands-on activities. For more information, visit NHM.ORG/pterosaurs.
Up OWL Night!: Owls and Other All-Nighter Birds7 pm Saturday, July 16 to 8 am Sunday, July 17Put on your fancy PJs for an ultimate “nerd chic” experience with scientific programming with one of our experts, trivia, music, and, a munchie buffet with craft beer and wine. Get a bird’s- eye view of taxidermy with Ornithology Collections Manager Kimball Garrett. For adults 21 years and older. Register at NHM.ORG/allnighters.
Overnight AdventureCamp Tar Pits (Outside)6:30 pm Saturday, July 23–9 am Sunday, July 24Learn about the La Brea Tar Pits and the titans that lived during the last Ice Age by experiencing the Titans of the Ice Age 3D film! Optional: Bring your tents to pitch outside to sleep among the asphalt seeps in this Summer sleepover! For children with accompanying adult. Register online at NHM.ORG/overnights.
Teacher Institute: Evolution and the Cross-Cutting ConceptsWednesday, July 27 to Friday, July 29 Join educators and scientists as we explore Museum collections, exhibits, and the NGSS. Visit NHM.ORG/education.
LEGEND
Natural History Museum
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum
William S. Hart Museum
Overnight Adventures
Offsite Adventure
NHM Member Events
NHM Fellows Events
Paid Events
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In This Issue:Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs OpensNew Butterfly Pavilion Opens
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