On the hunt for eggs today? The banded jawfish (Opistognathus macrognathus) has a mouthful! Banded jawfish dads-to-be carry eggs in their mouth. This behavior—which helps protect offspring from predators—is known as mouthbrooding. To attract females, males do a “dance” that involves a series of sweeping movements and fin-flashing. They even open their mouths as wide as possible to boast their mouthbrooding potential!
Photo: coralreefdreams, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist
We’re celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day in a big way, with one of the largest known deer: the Irish Elk (Megaloceros giganteus)! It was originally discovered in bog deposits in Ireland. This megafauna could weigh up to 1,500 pounds (680 kg) and its antlers could reach an incredible 13-ft- (4-m-) spread. Once ranging from western Europe to China, this animal died out some 10,000 years ago. However, at least one population, living in Russia’s Ural Mountains, managed to survive until about 7,770 years ago, long after the end of the Pleistocene.
See the Irish Elk up close in the Museum’s Hall of Advanced Mammals! We’re open daily from 10 am-5:30 pm. Plan your visit.
Photo: © AMNH
Have you ever seen a pink grasshopper? Though the meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) is typically distinguished by its green and brown coloration, a genetic mutation called erythrism leaves some individuals looking pretty in pink! Erythrism is the overproduction of red pigment. While these rare insects are beautiful to look at, pink grasshoppers are hindered by their vivid coloring because it makes hiding from predators much more difficult.
Photo: Back from the Brink, CC BY-NC 2.0, flickr (Meadow grasshopper nymph pictured)
Find out this and more in the latest episode of #ShelfLife.
Today was the preview for Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species. The exhibition opens this Saturday, April 4th.
Life at the Limits: Stories of Amazing Species explores the diverse and sometimes jaw-dropping strategies animals and plants employ to find food, fend off predators, reproduce, and thrive in habitats many would find inhospitable, even lethal.
Completed as part of a renovation of the Hall of Ocean Life in 1969, the ninety-four foot, twenty-one-thousand-pound foam-and-fiberglass model of an adult female blue whale became an instant favorite with visitors when it was unveiled. Inside the model, a pipe 16-inches in diameter connects to the roof of the building, where additional steel bars connect to trusses that transfer the weight, allowing visitors to enjoy the illusion of a diving whale. Learn more about the blue whale.
Wednesday is architecture day of Museum Week. Follow us @AMNH on Twitter for more Museum Week facts!
What's Thanksgiving without turkey? Here are some terrific turkey facts:
Happy turkey day!
The above turkey is located in the Museum's Hall of North American Birds.
Send a little something to your special someone today; check out our collection of Valentine's cards. We'll share them all throughout the day!
Did you know a blue whale's heart is the size of a small car? Find the Museum's big blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. And don't forget to bring your sweetie.
