Photographer Simone Baumeister shows an orb weaver spider on its web on a pedestrian bridge, silhouetted by lights from the cars below. In urban environments, orb weaver spiders often spin webs near artificial lights that attract insects at night. 📸: Caught in the Headlights by Simone Baumeister

Please note the Museum is closed December 25, but we are excited to welcome you to ROM For the Holidays each day between Dec 26 & Jan 4 from 10am to 5:30pm. ROM For the Holidays is made possible through the generous support of BASF.

This 1163-year-old cedar tree stump from the Niagara Escarpment holds annual climate records in its tree rings. These yearly records coincide with the sediment records in nearby Crawford Lake.

On Dec. 14, join us for our program, “Stereographs in India.” This conversation offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with rare 19th / early 20th century stereographs, the innovative photographs that produce 3D images when viewed through a stereoscope. RSVP: www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...

Thrilled for a former volunteer/summer student @romtoronto.bsky.social, Beckett Robertson, recognized in 15-17yo category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, for a whip spider photo www.rom.on.ca/magazine/rom.... Congrats! #arachnids #photography #WPY

Sediments from the bottom of a small lake in Ontario are revealing a remarkable record of our impact on the planet. Just outside Toronto lies a significant site offering a unique, comprehensive 1,000-year record of human impacts - local, regional, and global: Crawford Lake near Milton, Ontario.

When fossil fuels such as the coal in this bag are burned, small particles called fly ash are released into the air. Crawford Lake’s sediments capture a dramatic increase in fly ash in the 1950s, coinciding with rapid industrialization locally and globally.

All of us trying to figure out which way is up after Halloween/World Series loss/time change this weekend. 🦩⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Experience our world in vivid detail and see some of the most unusual species and their habitats in ways you never imagined at Wildlife Photographer of the Year, opening November 8.⁠

Ladies, does your man hang out in the deep sea, have a cartilaginous skeleton, and teeth on his forehead? That's not your man, that is a chimera. 👻🦈 In honour of Halloween weekend, Nathan Lujan @potamophile.bsky.social Curator of Fishes at ROM) gave us a lesson on these creepy creatures.

The James and Louise Temerty Galleries of the Age of Dinosaurs & the Reed Gallery of the Age of Mammals will be temporarily closed from Nov 3 until Dec 5, 2025 as we prepare to welcome visitors back to a new and expanded gallery experience that will showcase even more of our favourite dinosaurs.

As we all get ready for the big game tonight, enjoy some peanuts and blue jay facts with Oliver Haddrath (Collections Technician) and the sassy birds in his yard. ⚾️🧢 #GoJaysGo #WorldSeries

Step into the spirit of Día de los Muertos at ROM After Dark: Day of the Dead. And for the first time ever, we’re bringing the party to a Saturday night! www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...

Update: Saturday is Sold OUT. We recommend pre-booking for Sunday and Monday. Sharks opens Saturday, October 11! 🦈 Though many associate sharks with the terrifying monster from the movie Jaws, they are far more fascinating and complex than their depiction in popular culture.

After trees are cut down, ragweed grows quickly over bare ground + produces many seeds. Humans can spread these seeds when they stick to the soles of boots. This boot can be found in the exhibition “Crawford Lake: Layers in Time”, which offers an engaging look at the record of human life on Earth.

The @romtoronto.bsky.social Sharks exhibition is opening this weekend! The perfect family-friendly destination for the Thanksgiving long weekend!

If you're just jumping on the Blue Jays bandwagon, don't worry - making sense of our complicated world is what we do here at the Museum! We've put together a one-page guide of everything you need to know to avoid sounding like a fairweather fan over the next month. #LetsGoBlueJays

On Oct. 05, explore the beauty and splendor of Isfahan’s famed painted tiles, including the important role their past and present play in the public and private lives in Iran. RSVP: www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...

Tune-in to see Antonia Guidotti @antoniag.bsky.social (Collections Technician, Entomology) in @tvodocs.bsky.social The Extraordinary Caterpillar and go on a playful & extraordinary visual journey into the little-known world of this tiny superhero of biodiversity. 🐛 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql1z...

Join us for ROM After Dark: Back 2 School on Sep 26, 2025. From high-energy DJ sets to jaw-dropping performances, the Museum will be transformed into the ultimate after-hours party with food, drink, and performances. Enjoy hands-on crafts, and photo ops that’ll take you back to your school days!

How did artists make paint before paint stores? Explore the natural origins of pigments used in 1400–1700s European art through hands-on materials, a colour-matching game, and fascinating stories behind each hue.

This month, Third Tuesday Nights Free will be on Sept. 23! Ensure you book your free ticket in advance through our website to secure your spot. Presented by TD Bank Group Ready Commitment, visit us between 4:00pm - 8:30pm. www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...

Drop in and immerse yourself in the beauty of Korean handicrafts. Get hands-on with embroidery and maedeup (knot-making), inspired by the accessories often worn with hanbok. No registration needed! ⏰: Sept. 13-14, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Royals and aristocrats had long used portraits to express political and social power. In Flanders, townspeople who attained wealth through trade and enterprise could also commission portraits of themselves and their families that rivalled those of the elite.

Royal Ontario Museum Talks Sunday, Oct 19, 2025 13:00 Admission - Free! 50 years of Discovery: Burgess Shale Research at ROM 🧪 www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve... For 50 years, @romtoronto.bsky.social has been at the forefront of Burgess Shale research, uncovering dozens of new fossil sites and species

Think you know shark teeth? Think again! 🦈🦷 Nathan Lujan (Curator of Fishes at ROM), and Kevin Seymour (Research Associate, Natural History) showed us many different types of shark jaws while they prepared for Sharks, opening October 11.

The leaves are changing, back-to-school season is here, and fall hours are in effect at ROM! 🕙 New hours: Tuesday – Sunday (10 am – 5:30 pm) Closed Mondays

Happy #NationalDogDay 🐶 Which dog are you? These paintings can be viewed in our current exhibition, “Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools.” This large-scale exhibition, featuring over 80 stunning art works and objects, offers a doorway into the Southern Netherlands of 1400 to 1700.

For anyone in Toronto in Oct. - 50 years of discovery: #BurgessShale research @romtoronto.bsky.social www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve... #FossilFriday

Last #FossilFriday I had the pleasure of visiting the @romtoronto.bsky.social and checking out the Dawn of Life gallery! I’ll dig into my favorite individual fossils soon, but the exhibit was a gorgeous mix of science, art and specimens and I loved that it featured specimens from across Canada! 🇨🇦

Anglo-Saxon urn, about 500-600 CE, in the collection @romtoronto.bsky.social A partial label identifies it is from Girton College, Cambridge, UK. This will be on ROM's eMuseum website tomorrow, just look up 920.96.1 🏺 #MuseumWork #archaelogy #AngloSaxon #ceramics

The Invertebrate Palaeontology team has returned from their annual expedition to the Burgess Shale! Each year, they travel via plane and helicopter to the Canadian Rockies, where they camp out for 3 weeks or more and go fossil hunting. We will be sharing more footage from their trip, so stay tuned!

If you’ve explored ROM’s galleries, been inspired by our exhibitions, or made special memories with your family here, now’s your chance to cast your vote & show your love. 🫶 Help ROM win Top Museum in the 2025 Ontario’s Choice Awards! attractionsontario.ca/.../top-muse...

As Nature in Brilliant Colour wraps up- closing this Sunday, August 17! -we take a look at one of the most expensive natural pigments. Heidi Sobol, Senior Manager of Conservation and Senior Paintings Conservator at ROM tells us a bit about purpurissm, the source of Tyrian purple. 💜

Get ready for an unforgettable summer night at ROM After Dark: Block Party (Aug. 22). From high-energy DJ sets to jaw-dropping performances, the Museum will be transformed into the ultimate after-hours party.

Through the lens of artist Kei Ito’s works, this illustrated talk invites audiences to understand the horrors of past events, to contribute to a less violent future, and to honour the resilience of the human spirit in the face of profound historical shadows. RSVP: www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/eve...

Can a painting make you question your entire existence? A toothy skull w/ a wig + flowers sits atop an upper-body laden with pearls. An olive branch tucked in the figure’s white garment has attracted the attention of a bird. This “vanitas” painting was meant to inspire the contemplation of death.

Happy Shark Week! We are all VERY excited- especially Curator of Fishes, Nathan Lujan- and even more excited to share that Sharks opens at ROM October 11! 🦈 Uncover fresh perspectives, groundbreaking research, and the astounding diversity of this ancient group of fishes.

Not your average museum night! ROM After Dark is a one-of-a-kind 19+ nighttime celebration packed with live music, multiple dance floors, exciting performances, and mind-blowing visual art. Caribbean music, fashion, dance, and pure island vibes are coming to ROM After Dark: Island Heat (July 25).

Sink your teeth into the thrilling world of Sharks at ROM this fall! Sharks is a deep dive into the world of these (sometimes) fearsome fish, taking visitors through the incredible diversity of the species via spectacular large-scale models, fossils, and interactive installations.

The unexpected mechanical issue at the Museum has been resolved, and ROM will reopen for regular operating hours on Tuesday, July 15. Prebooked tickets for July 14 will be automatically refunded. We apologize again for the inconvenience and look forward to welcoming visitors back tomorrow.

THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED TODAY – JULY 14. Due to an unexpected mechanical issue, ROM will be closed Monday, July 14. Prebooked tickets will be automatically refunded. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we look forward to welcoming you on another day.

Here’s a #Dimetrodon skeleton on display at the @romtoronto.bsky.social 🇨🇦 for this #FossilFriday. This ancient forerunner of mammals was one of the top carnivores on land during the early #Permian, long before the dinosaurs. #synapsid #paleontology #science 🧵 1/

A day at the museum. @romtoronto.bsky.social #ROM #CanadaDay #dinosaur #Toronto

Free tickets for Canada Day (July 1st) are fully booked. If you don’t already have a ticket, we hope you’ll join us on another day. We’re open 7 days a week during the summer, from 10:00am-5:30pm and look forward to welcoming you to the Museum.

Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools is on now at ROM! This featured exhibition will reveal the immense creative talent and innovation of the artists of the Southern Netherlands during the renowned medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

The @romtoronto.bsky.social captured me looking very excited about 16th century Flemish oil paintings last night (I was most likely laughing at the fact that we decided the royal nepo baby child depicted behind me looked, and I quote, "very punchable").

The @romtoronto.bsky.social invited me to the gala opening of their new painting exhibition, "Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools" and I immediately found my new bestie. If anyone can find me his rooster hat, please know I will pay handsomely for it.

This weekend, in celebration of the upcoming release of Jurassic World Rebirth, get ready to travel back in time—way back to the Mesozoic Era! Join us for Jurassic Weekend at ROM June 28-29, where dinosaurs rule and adventure awaits. #JurassicWorldRebirth

Have you ever wondered how an exhibition gets installed? Dr. Chloé Pelletier (guest curator) shows us a #BTS look at ROM's newest art exhibition: Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools, opening on June 28!