American Museum of Natural History

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

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

You won’t spot the Pink-necked Green Pigeon on the streets of NYC! This colorful bird can be found throughout forests in Southeast Asia, where it forages mainly for fruit. Females of this species lack pink necks and are mostly olive-green in color.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

When this spider eats, “glitter” comes out. Meet the black-spotted Thwaitesia! During digestion, it sequesters a chemical compound called guanine which shimmers like water droplets in the Sun. Scientists think this striking display is actually a form of camouflage!

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Have you ever seen the beautiful rainbow eucalyptus? When strips of its bark peel off, they change in color: Bark starts out in shades of green, then transitions into purple, red, & orange as time goes on. Continuous peeling helps the tree keep its trunk clear of other plants.🌈

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Here’s a giant African land snail to brighten your day! 🐌 Found in parts of eastern Africa, this jumbo gastropod can grow ~5.9 in (15 cm) in size—making it one of the world’s largest snails! It’s a member of the Achatinidae family, which includes other similarly sized species.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

It's Fossil Friday! In this archival image, Museum preparators work on 3 Tyrannosaur skulls. With 4-ft- (1.2-m-) long jaws & massive teeth, T. rex was one of the largest carnivores of all time. It could bite with ~7,800 lbs of force (34,500 N)—equivalent to the weight of 3 cars!

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

The Common Potoo is a master of disguise. You might think its huge yellow eyes would draw the attention of predators, but the bird has a workaround: It can close its peepers while staying aware of its surroundings, thanks to slits in its eyelids.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Why the blue tongue? For this reptile, it’s a form of self defense! Though it's covered in armored scales, the blue-tongued skink can also defend itself by opening its mouth, hissing, and revealing its bold blue tongue—startling foes with a flash of vibrant color.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

DYK? Fireflies use a system of flashes in some of the ways we use words: to attract, to say, “Here I am,” even to deceive. They emit light from a tiny organ, called a lantern, on the underside of their abdomen, where a biochemical reaction releases energy in the form of light.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

👂Psst. Ever heard of the long-eared hedgehog? Inhabiting parts of Central Asia, this omnivore feeds on fruit, insects, & vertebrates like lizards. It has been observed rubbing its spines against toads, suggesting it might be using their toxins for its own self-defense.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

It's Fossil Friday! What's the tallest freestanding dinosaur mount in the world? The Museum's Barosaurus & Allosaurus in the rotunda, which stands 50 ft (15 m) tall. How does it defy gravity? The Barosaurus is constructed using casts from real fossil bones in our collection.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Happy birthday to the “Mother of Paleontology,” Mary Anning! Born #OTD in 1799, she hailed from Lyme Regis on the coast of Dorset, England, & grew up collecting fossils. A few of her many accomplishments include unearthing one of the first ichthyosaurs & discovering Dimorphodon!

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Meet the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. This bird lives in the cloud forests along South America's Andes Mountains. Its appearance isn’t its only unusual trait: This species' courtship rituals include squeaking, grunting calls that have been compared to the sound of a rubber chicken.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

This deer says… woof? Meet the Muntjac deer. This ungulate makes bark-like calls to alert others of approaching predators like tigers. If attacked, the muntjac may bite its foe with its canine teeth.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

The coconut octopus isn't picky about where it lives. This cephalopod, which inhabits muddy shallows in parts of the Indo-Pacific, avoids predators by hiding inside closed spaces of all sorts. It makes its home in coconut shells, clam shells, and even discarded bottles!

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Happy Caturday! Meet the rusty-spotted cat. Known as the “hummingbird of cats,” it's one of the world’s smallest felines, weighing in at ~3.5 lbs (1.6 kg). Primarily nocturnal, this cat uses its large eyes to hunt under the cover of darkness.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Happy Fossil Friday! Meet the short-necked plesiosaur, Cryptocleidus oxoniensis. This marine reptile’s short tail could only function as a rudder, leaving the limbs as its main organ of propulsion.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Get to know the perentie! This lizard is one of the largest in the world. It can reach lengths of 6.6 ft (2 m) or more & hails from western Australia. It prefers dry habitats & eats a range of animals, from birds to mammals to other lizards.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Meet the velvet mite! This arachnid lives in topsoil and breaks down dead plant and animal matter. Human agriculture, and the survival of virtually all plant species, depends on continuous renewal of topsoil by tiny organisms like this mite.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

Meow, it’s Caturday! Meet the European wildcat. About the size of an average housecat, this powerful feline preys on rabbits, rodents, birds, and even mustelids like weasels and martens. Its thick fur, bushy tail, and chonky appearance set it apart from other wild cat species.

[American Museum of Natural History @AMNH]

It's Fossil Friday! Sail into the weekend with Edaphosaurus, a sail-backed herbivore that lived ~280 mya. It may resemble a lizard, but is actually more closely related to mammals! A clue? The synapsid openings behind each eye socket—a trait found in mammals & absent in reptiles.