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We've reopened!

As part of the much-anticipated arrival of Step 3 in Ontario, the museum is now open! We're thrilled to welcome visitors back into our galleries Wednesdays through Sundays, with all our safety measures in place, including reduced capacity.

We're also counting down the days to the opening of our new exhibition, Owls Rendez-vous. This presentation of live owls on our south plaza is sure to please bird enthusiasts and nature-lovers of all ages.

Of course, we continue to regularly post new content on our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter, FacebookInstagram and YouTube. Discover more on nature.ca. 


Highlights

Special outdoor exhibition!
Owls Rendez-vous
Opening July 28

Many of us have never had the luck to spot an owl up close. Now's your chance to come face-to-face with live owls right at the museum! This new outdoor exhibition presenting five owls and an eagle is created by the museum in partnership with Little Ray's Nature Centres. View these fascinating creatures in their specially-designed enclosures. Discover some of their amazing adaptations. This exhibition is included with museum admission. Advance tickets required.

New owl-themed merchandise
Nature Boutique

Hoooo wants to go shopping? From magnets, mugs, books and stuffies, owl-themed items have joined the great selection of nature-inspired merchandise in the Nature Boutique. Among the Canadian-focused products, you can also find minerals, fossils, hand-made jewelry, books and educational toys. Become a member today and receive 10% off your purchase at the boutique.

What's that sound?
Scavenger hunt

Families will love this new scavenger hunt where you follow clues and search the museum's galleries to find six animals or objects that make intriguing sounds in nature. When you find the clue, scan a QR code with your phone to hear the sound. You can download the clues and instructions before your visit.

Fieldwork resumes
Museum scientists in the Arctic

With the COVID-19 pandemic having interrupted fieldwork plans last year, our scientists are pleased to be able to travel this summer to resume scientific collecting. A team of museum botanists will survey and collect plants and lichens in Nunavut’s newest and largest territorial park, Agguttinni. Mammalogist Dr. Dominique Fauteux, along with colleague Greg Rand who is a bird expert and collections manager, have been tracking lemming populations in Nunavik (northern Quebec). The above left image shows botanist Dr. Lynn Gillespie; on the right is a view of Agguttinni Territorial Park.

In the news
The case of the Banded Mystery Snail die-off

Hundreds of dead snails have been observed this summer floating in Eastern Ontario water bodies, collecting in bays and along the shoreline. Our mollusc expert Dr. André Martel was recently interviewed by the CBC about this puzzling occurrence. 


Collections Corner

Behind the scenes
Baby pachycephalosaur

The above left image shows the hips and some vertebrae from a baby dome-headed dinosaur called a pachycephalosaur. Dr. Dale Russell, who collected these bones in 1973, thought at the time that they belonged to a small herbivorous dinosaur called Thescolosaurus.  While working on his Master’s degree last year, under the supervision of museum palaeontologist Dr. Jordan Mallon, Bryan Moore discovered that the specimen is, in fact, a partial dome-headed dinosaur skeleton (among the world’s smallest). Less than a year old when it died, this appears to be the first known baby pachycephalosaur. (Illustration - right: Brett Booth). See this and other interesting dinosaur specimens in a Virtual Open House video of our national fossil collections. 

QUICK LINKS







Editor: Laura Sutin
Questions or comments can be sent to lsutin@nature.ca

Photos
Header image (Great Horned Owl): Red Dog Digital
Banded Mystery Snails: Catherine MacRae


Canadian Museum of Nature
Canadian Museum of Nature
P. O. Box 3443, Station D / PO Box 3443, Stn. D
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P 6P4