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Tag: Emily Ostrow

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Ornithologists Back From Field

September 26, 2016 maryalicehartsock Environmental Science, Evolution, Featured, Ornithology, People, Photoblog

Brazil and Nicaragua were destinations for our bird scientists.

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The oldest natural history museum in North America. Open Wednesday-Sunday. Save $2 on your timed tickets 🎟 visit ansp.org

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the Spotted Ratfish (Hydrola

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the Spotted Ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) a species of cartilaginous fish closely related to sharks and rays. The last common ancestor between these families lived 400 million years ago. The ratfish, also known as chimaeras, are today largely confined to deep water habitats. Ratfish retain the ancestral digestive system where food moves directly into the intestine. The Spotted Ratfish is adapted for hunting shelled prey like crabs and clams. Their teeth are mineralized and plate-shaped for flat crushing surfaces. The Spotted Ratfish is equipped with the strongest bite force of any in its family. Being a deep sea and nocturnal hunter, the ratfish has large reflective eyes and locates its prey by smell. Named for its long thin tail, the Spotted Ratfish moves using “aquatic flight” provided by its large pectoral fins. ⁠
📷: Jack Ivie @jcivie

A big congrats for all the runners who ran in @phi

A big congrats for all the runners who ran in @philly_marathon races this weekend. We hope you ran like a T. rex was right behind you! ⁠
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📷 by recent visitor @motherrunner521 - thanks for stopping by!

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the longhorn cowfish (Lactor

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the longhorn cowfish (Lactoria cornuta), a species of boxfish. The species’ unique long horns on their head are what gives them the name longhorn cowfish. Adults of this species are often found in the reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Longhorn cowfish are omnivorous, feeding on algae and microorganisms. This species are very slow swimmers and have a unique swimming method, making them appear to be hovering. When stressed, the longhorn cowfish can release a toxin from the mucous secretions in their skin, called pahutoxin. This toxin is unique to the boxfish family and can even be poisonous to other boxfish species. ⁠
📷: Lauren Tuffy

Are you curious about how what you eat impacts the

Are you curious about how what you eat impacts the environment? 🍽️🌄⁠
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Join us and our partners @climaterealsepa and @boyersudduth on Tuesday, November 16 for a virtual program where we will explore the impact that our dietary choices have on the global climate and the types of small changes to our dinner plates that can help curb rising global temperatures.⁠
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Link in bio to RSVP.

Hooray! You've made it to the tail-end of the week

Hooray! You've made it to the tail-end of the week! 🦖⁠
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The Academy is open and you can visit Dinosaur Hall as well as our special exhibits (Permian Monsters and Invisible World of Water). Save $2 when you purchase your tickets online, just visit the link in bio! ⁠
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📷 by recent visitor @amungioli - thanks for visiting.

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrn

Our #FishOfTheWeek is the Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna tiburo), the smallest species in the hammerhead family. This species is commonly found in shallow bays, mudflats, and reef habitats in the Western Atlantic south of the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Pacific south of California. Like other members of the hammerhead family, the Bonnethead Shark is known for its unique head shape called a cephalofoil. The Bonnethead Sharks cephalofoil is distinguished from other family members by its rounded shovel or bonnet-shaped head. This unique head shape is advantageous because it increases the field of vision and the amount of ampullae of Lorenzini (sensory organ) to help them detect prey. These special sensing organs are a network of receptors that allow them to detect prey in the sand. ⁠
📷: Lauren Tuffy

Our newest exhibit, Invisible World of Water opens

Our newest exhibit, Invisible World of Water opens on this Saturday, November 13! ⁠
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Centered around two micro-phenomena — snow crystals and diatoms — this new exhibit will present parallel histories of observation and show the interplay between the micro-cosmic and macro-cosmic. Invisible World of Water features:⁠
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❄️ Illustrations from rare books⁠
❄️ Victorian-era arranged diatom slides⁠
❄️ Microphotographs by Snowflake Bentley and Ukichiro Nakaya⁠
❄️ Artifacts documenting the groundbreaking research of diatom scientist Ruth Patrick⁠
❄️ Contemporary ceramic sculpture by Marguerita Hagan (@marguerita) ⁠
❄️ Stop-motion imagery by physicist Kenneth Libbrecht⁠
❄️ High-resolution photography by Nathan Myhrvold⁠
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Link in bio to learn more and get tickets!

Did you know the Academy is BYOB? Bring Your Own B

Did you know the Academy is BYOB? Bring Your Own Binoculars, that is! Who knows what wild things you'll see 🦁🐯🐻⁠
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The Academy is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Visit the link in bio to plan your next visit AND save $2 on your tickets when you buy online. ⁠
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📷 by recent visitor @mekella - thanks so much for visiting!

Let's talk about composting!👩🏽‍🌾⁠ ⁠

Let's talk about composting!👩🏽‍🌾⁠
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Together, yard debris and food waste account for nearly 30% of the materials disposed in U.S. landfills. However, both these items can easily be composted instead! Composting enables you to turn organic waste — items such as leaves, fruit peels, food scraps, coffee grounds and more — into a resource that can help nourish your soil and spruce up your yard.⁠
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Do you want to learn how to get started? We put together a guide to composting! Visit the link in bio to read it. ⁠
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Do you compost already? Leave your tips in our comments below!

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