☃️The Museum is open daily from 10 am–5:30 pm, except on Christmas Day. We're open regular hours on New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day! 🎁Tip: Beat the crowds when you visit between Christmas & the New Year. The Museum will open an hour early, at 9 am, on Saturday, 12/27, through Monday, 12/29.

The most famous reindeer of all? It’s not the saiga antelope. While the saiga won’t be taking Rudolph’s job anytime soon, it does have a special nose, which filters out dust during dry summers and warms the air it breathes during cold winters. Photo: Vyacheslav Luzanov, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Checking out the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History.

Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of winter! What causes our planet’s shift in seasons? Its tilt. Today, Earth’s Northern Hemisphere is at its most-tilted away from the Sun. Photo: Ryzhkov Sergey, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The, the, the... the grinch? Not exactly: This fuzzy green bird is Schalow's Turaco! This colorful, vocal species inhabits parts of south-central Africa. It finds its home in evergreen forests or woodlands, where it feeds on a diet of fruit. Photo: lesbectrotters, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Do you recognize the star of today’s #FossilFriday feature? This dinosaur lived in North America ~75 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. Its distinctive crest is its most easily recognizable feature. Hint: It was a hadrosaur, or “duck-billed” dinosaur... Image no. ptc-7735 / © AMNH Library

After a five-year hiatus, kids ages 6 through 12 brought their pillows and flashlights to the American Museum of Natural History for a sleepover under the Blue Whale.

Meet the American pika! This small North American mammal is a relative of rabbits & inhabits rocky slopes at high elevations. In preparation of winter, it spends the warmer months foraging for plants that have more protein & are higher in water content. Photo: ​​dbond, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

In 2025, Museum scientists discovered more than 70 new species! Among the newly described species are: 🐟A new species of cichlid (Paretroplus risengi) from northwestern Madagascar that was discovered more than 20 years ago when the lead scientist was a graduate student. Photo credit: John Sparks

We only had a quick few minutes in the dinosaur galleries on our last day at the American Museum of Natural History, but those galleries are just so iconic. I’ve always loved the giant mystery arms…

🐠It's the most fin-tastic time of the year! Dive into the holidays with some festive fish from our Ichthyology Collection with Museum Specialist Hannah Sinclair.

Did you know? The Arctic fox is a seasonal fashionista. During winter, it sports a dense coat of white fur that helps insulate it from the cold, and it can withstand temperatures of up to −90°F (-67.8°C)! Photo: Jonathen Pie, CC0 1.0, Wikimedia Commons

This giant pinecone belongs to the coulter pine! It can be found in California & Mexico. Nicknamed “the widowmaker,” it produces some of the world's largest pinecones—which can weigh ~11 lbs (5 kg) & plummet to the ground with deadly force! Photo: damontighe, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

It’s Fossil Friday! 🦕 Snapped in 1916, this image depicts Museum curators assembling a Diplodocus forelimb. This Jurassic sauropod used its pencil-shaped teeth to strip leaves. Fun fact: the Museum’s first dinosaur fossil, a Diplodocus, was found in 1897 at Como Bluff, Wyoming!

Animal lovers, have you ever heard of the zebra duiker? This small ungulate can be found in parts of West Africa. Adults typically weigh ~44 lbs (20 kg)—no larger than a medium-sized dog! They are rarely seen in the wild. Photo: Kispál Attila, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever seen a piebald deer? This rare genetic mutation causes an estimated 1 in 1,000 white-tailed deer to have unique white & brown coats. While beautiful, piebald deer can suffer from other genetic issues, like shortened legs or arched spines. Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0, iNaturalist

#DYK? Trilobites ruled the Earth longer than the dinosaurs! It took three major mass extinctions to end trilobites’ more than 250-milion year evolutionary lifespan. Join Museum Curator Melanie Hopkins to explore these arthropods through the Museum’s extensive collection of trilobite specimens.

Meet the Sulawesi bear cuscus! This arboreal marsupial lives in tropical forests throughout parts of Indonesia. It moves slowly & spends much of its time resting & digesting all of the fruits, flowers, & leaves that it eats. Photo: Dario Nessi, Royle Safari, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Meet the Snowy Owl! This bird is easily identified by its white plumage and piercing yellow eyes. Unlike many owls, it hunts by daylight, feeding on small mammals and birds. Its favorite snack? Lemmings. A single owl can eat more than 1,600 lemmings a year. Photo: Silver Leapers,CC BY 2.0, flickr

Join us at the Museum from January 15–17, 2026, for a citywide hackathon that brings together scientists, technologists, designers, policymakers, & community members to generate creative, data-driven solutions for building a more resilient New York City. Applications are open through 12/12! Details👇

New research reveals how pterosaurs evolved the neurological structures required for powered flight! This study is based on the discovery an ancient pterosaur relative—a small lagerpetid archosaur named Ixalerpeton from 233-million-year-old Triassic rocks in Brazil. Learn more: bit.ly/3KEBSmZ

Meet the guereza colobus! This primate inhabits parts of Central Africa. A multi-chambered stomach helps it digest a plant-heavy diet. At night, it rests in the trees with its troop while at least one group member stays up to look out for predators. Photo: mikeloomis, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Meet the electric eel. It's a knifefish & is more closely related to catfish & carp. It can emit a charge of 650+ volts—more than 5x that of a standard outlet in the U.S. It uses this ability to find food, stun prey, & ward off foes. Photo: Oleksandr (Alex) Zakletsky, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Introducing a limited-edition merch collab from MTA Arts & Design and @amnh.org celebrating 40 years of art in transit—and one of the most iconic subway artworks in NYC! 🚇🦈 Stop by the Museum Shop or check out the collection here: shop.amnh.org/collection/m... Photos: Alvaro Keding / © AMNH

Through exhibits, programs, and experiences that inspire wonder and curiosity, the Museum makes science accessible to all. This #GivingTuesday, help us continue this important work: bit.ly/4rNcwEi Photos: Alvaro Keding & Dan Kim/© AMNH

A Night at the Museum: The Overnight Experience is back! Tickets for the January, February, & March sleepovers will be available starting Wed., 12/3, at 10:30 am for Members at the Adventurer level & above. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Wed., 12/10, at 10:30 am. 📸: A. Keding/© AMNH

I did a line drawing of the coelacanth at the American Museum of Natural history @amnh.org a few days ago. This morning I colored in that drawing with charcoal colored pencils. #SundayFishSketch #AMNH

#DYK? The leatherback sea turtle is the world's largest turtle. It can be more than 6 ft (1.8 m) long & weigh as much as 1,400 lbs (636 kg)! It’s also the only sea turtle with a soft, rubbery shell. (All others have hard, bony-plated shells). Photo: azure27014, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

It's Fossil Friday! Suspended from the ceiling in the Museum’s Hall of Vertebrate Origins is Thalassomedon haringtoni, a plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous ~85 mil yrs ago. Its long, flexible neck probably helped in grasping rapidly moving prey.

The Allende meteorite is a 4.5-billion-year-old time capsule. How do we read this ancient history? Join Museum Curator Denton Ebel as he reveals the key: chemical thermodynamics. It’s the same science that explains why it takes longer to boil pasta on a mountaintop than at sea level. Watch.👇

📲 Bonus tip: Download our free Explorer app for turn-by-turn directions and highlights. Have a great holiday! 🦃 For more details and tips, visit: bit.ly/4pRyfcv

It’s Trilobite Tuesday! Growing up to 6 in (15.2 cm) long, the sword-nosed Psychopyge is perhaps the most recognizable trilobite to have emerged from Morocco’s bountiful Devonian outcrops over the last four decades. Few species can rival this trilobite's renown or bizarre Paleozoic appearance.

🐾New research shows that most modern dogs, from big Shiloh shepherds to tiny chihuahuas, carry small but noticeable traces of wolf ancestry from after they were first domesticated. These lingering wolf genes may have helped shape things like size, smelling ability, and even personality. Read more.👇

🎄The Origami Tree is now on view! An annual NYC tradition, the 13-ft tree is adorned with thousands of origami models. Produced in partnership with OrigamiUSA, it's decorated with hand-folded paper models created by local, national, & international origami artists: bit.ly/4ppGtYP 📸: A. Keding/©AMNH

😳Meet the Tibetan fox (Vulpes ferrilata), which is distinguished by its characteristic flattened face. This species can be found in parts of Asia, including China, India, and Nepal—and has been observed at elevations of up to 17,388 ft (5,300 m). Photo: Dash Huang, C BY-NC-SA 2.0, flickr

This #FossilFriday, meet Dunkleosteus, which lived ~360 million years ago. Scientists think it was one of the first large jawed vertebrates in the ocean & was an aggressive predator. The bones in its jaws served as cutters, rubbing against each other like self-sharpening shears.

Have you ever seen the granulate shellback crab? Unlike hermit crabs—which hide inside their chosen shells—this unusual-looking crustacean uses its posterior legs to hold a shell onto its back, protecting it from foes. Photo: Austin Smith, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist

#DYK? A flock of flamingos is called a flamboyance! The world's largest flamingo colony can be found in Tanzania, where 2 million+ birds have been observed. Photo: Pedro Szekely, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

American Museum of Natural History @amnh

It's Trilobite Tuesday! The Devonian trilobites that emerge from outcrops aligning Bolivia's sky-high Altiplano plateau, like this Belenopyge, rank among the most difficult-to-obtain trilobites in the world—mostly because they're located more than 11,500 ft (3,505 m) up in the Andes Mountains.

☄️Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs is now open! Here's an in-depth look at the Hell Creek Formation Diorama with Museum Curator Roger Benson. This scene depicts life as it was 66 million years ago in what is now the western United States.

☄️The Museum’s newest exhibition Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs opens on Monday, November 17! Explore the before-and-after story of the asteroid impact that led to the extinction of non-bird dinosaurs and the majority of animal and plant species 66 mil years ago. 📸: A.Keding & D. Kim/© AMNH

☄️Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs opens on November 17! Members see it first! Member Preview Days begin on November 14. Details: bit.ly/4qWC6WP

🍂Plan your visit this fall! The Museum is open daily from 10 am–5:30 pm. We hope to see you soon! amnh.link/4lHPM4s

The Orange Fruit Dove decorates the treetops with its flame-like plumage. This species lives in forests on the islands of Fiji, where it munches on fruits and berries. Only males display bold orange plumage; females are green. Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, iNaturalist

Have you ever seen a turtle frog? Named for its uniquely shaped body—which resembles a turtle’s without a shell—this amphibian uses its muscular forelimbs to tunnel through the sand headfirst, digging up to 3.9 ft (1.2 m) underground. Photo: Thomas Mesaglio, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist

Happy Fossil Friday! Meet Glossotherium robustum, also known as “the tongue beast!” It roamed the pampas of Argentina some 30,000 years ago during the Pleistocene, just before the group’s extinction. Spot it in the Museum’s Hall of Primitive Mammals!

Meet Coquerel's sifaka. It’s native to the deciduous forests of Madagascar, where it lives in groups of ~10 individuals. The arboreal primate’s name comes from the “shif-auk” sound it makes when making its way through the treetop. Photo: 昆虫学liuye, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

It’s Trilobite Tuesday! In 1698, Ogygiocarella became the first trilobite to be described & illustrated in scientific literature. But when it was first discovered in English outcrops, it hadn’t been recognized as a trilobite yet. In fact, the Ordovician species was referred to as a “flat fish.”

Meet the Cephea cephea, sometimes called the cauliflower jellyfish because of its resemblance to the vegetable. It can reach ~20 in (51 cm) in diameter! #DYK? The bodies of jellyfish are more than 95 percent water! Photo: Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, flickr