FCC Natural History Museum

18/01/2025

Animal that carries out photosynthesis.

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A rare sea slug that can photosynthesize like a plant is the eastern emerald Elysia (Elysia Chlorotica). It may turn sunlight into energy by absorbing chloroplasts from the algae it eats (Vaucheria Litorea). Depending just on sunlight, some species can go up to a year without eating. Because of the stored chloroplasts, it has a green tint that acts as camouflage to keep predators away.
The slug, which may reach a length of 60 mm, lives in shallow water environments including tidal pools and salt marshes. The distinction between plants and animals is blurred by this amazing adaptation, which also provides fresh information on photosynthesis and energy efficiency.

16/04/2024

National Butterfly Day.
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Pakistan Butterfly Society is thrilled to announce the first National Butterfly Day on April 15th, 2024, in honor of Jerome Pages, a French lepidopterist who dedicated 30 years to studying Pakistani butterflies, on his 75th birthday. Unfortunately we had to cancel all our events for the day, due to heavy rains across Pakistan.
Picture Credits:
Jerome Pages` Picture: Taimur Khan
(Background Picture) Annie`s Rockbrown (Pseudochazara annieae): Jerome Pages (He discovered this butterfly from Kalam, Swat in 2007 and named it after his wife, Annie)

04/08/2023

If Barbie had a favorite moth, this would be it! Meet the rosy maple moth (Dryocampa rubicunda). With a wingspan of up to 2 in (5 cm), this silk moth can be found throughout North America; its range spans much of the United States' East Coast and parts of southern Canada. Nocturnal and solitary, its vibrant color provides camouflage among the fruits of red maple trees. This species can live for up to nine months in the wild.

Photo: Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

04/08/2023

It’s Trilobite Tuesday! This 6-in- (15.2-cm-) long Trimerus delphinocephalus lived more than 415 million years ago during the Silurian. The fossilized remains of this species have been uncovered in England, New York, and Indiana’s Waldron Shale. This specimen is from the latter locale—and it’s one of only a handful of complete examples of this species ever uncovered in the American Midwest!

02/08/2023

03/03/2023

Happy 159th Founder's Day to all!

08/08/2022

International Cat Day

“Have photos of your own feline friend? Share them with us in the comments below! ”

05/08/2022

It’s time for Fossil Friday! Today’s feature wouldn’t hurt a fly. Apatosaurus excelsus may look intimidating, but this dinosaur maintained its mind-boggling bulk on a diet of plants! How did this 27-ton animal process enough vegetation to maintain its size? A soup of microbes in its belly broke down otherwise hard-to-digest plants by fermentation. In fact, some birds, the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, also have fermentation chambers in the gut. The Museum’s first Apatosaurus was discovered at Wyoming’s Bone Cabin Quarry in 1898 and went on display in 1905.
Photo: D. Finnin/© AMNH

05/07/2022

Welcome to Trilobite Tuesday! Pictured is Asaphus kowalewski. This 450-million-year-old species stands apart from other trilobites with its eyes perched atop 2-inch- (5-centimeter-) long stalks. To some, Asaphus kowalewski may look like an animal from a distant galaxy!

21/06/2022

Every 17 years when the weather warms, periodical cicadas become a news event. East of the Great Plains in the northern U.S., millions of seventeen-year cicadas (Magicicada septendecim) burst forth from the ground. Why this mass emergence? It’s an effective adaptation that allows these insects to overwhelm potential predators. But sheer numbers shouldn’t lull cicada fans into complacency, for the insects do face stressors, particularly ongoing forest habitat destruction and pesticides. For now, research into the actual numbers and population dynamics of periodical cicadas is more important than ever.

The Museum's latest special exhibition Extinct and Endangered: Insects in Peril, opens TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 22! It will feature uniquely powerful macrophotography by Levon Biss, highlighting 40 incredible but imperiled species from specimens in the Museum's world-class research collection, including the seventeen-year cicada, in large-format photographs, some as large as 4.5 by 8 feet!
Photo: © Levon Biss

21/05/2022