The countdown is on!
We "moosed" you!
Come and see us as of September 5
We're excited to reopen our doors so our visitors can once again enjoy our wonderful natural history museum. Due to precautions around COVID-19, we've made some changes in order to provide a healthy and enjoyable experience. Find out what you can expect during your visit. Book tickets in advance. In the meantime, check out our new and amazing 360 tours of our galleries at https://nature.ca/360e
Species discovery
Giant's Dot Lichen
Lichen researcher Troy McMullin, Ph.D. and his colleagues discovered a new lichen species in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay, Ontario. The species, Bacidia gigantensis, lives in a boreal forest habitat, but is distinctly different from other dotted lichens in its genus. It actually has more in common with Bacidia lichens found in the tropics.
New video!
Botany along the Coppermine River
Journey with Canadian Museum of Nature botanists to the Coppermine River—an area at the front line of climate change. Follow as they document the region’s plant biodiversity, collect specimens for the National Herbarium, and face the challenges of Arctic fieldwork.
Music and Nature
Jazz up your day with Kellylee Evans
Kellylee Evans' beautiful voice fills the Museum's Atrium in this video presented by this year's virtual Music and Beyond Festival. Enjoy two jazz standards, Gershwin’s Summertime and Eden Ahbez’s Nature Boy, accompanied by Mark Ferguson on piano, Chris Pond on bass and Jose Hernandez on drum.
Inspired by nature
Build your own diorama
Have you found some interesting rocks on a walk, or perhaps some seaweed, an acorn, or a cicada exoskeleton? Why not create your very own mini-diorama— a 3D, realistic recreation of a wildlife habitat, representing a moment in time. A great activity for the family! Visit our Instagram or Facebook pages to find out how.
Behind the scenes
Coryphodon
Fifty or so million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, Coryphodon, an animal about the size of a modern-day hippo, was widespread in North America. Coryphodon fossils have been found in the Canadian High Arctic on Ellesmere Island. During the Eocene, the Arctic climate was much warmer than it is today, with a mean annual temperature near 12 degrees Celsius. Coryphodon's "claim to fame" is that it had the smallest brain-to-body ratio of any mammal. Despite its massive 500-kg body, its brain was only about 90 grams! The above image is a Coryphodon fossil molar in our collections. The inset picture shows a painting by German artist Heinrich Harder (1858-1935).
Editor: Laura Sutin
Questions or comments can be sent to lsutin@nature.ca
Photos:
Chasmosaurs: Martin Lipman
Music and Nature image: Music and Beyond Festival
Coryphodon painting (inset): Public Domain
