This morning myself and my good friend and research partner, George L. Heinrich are beginning a 22 mile survey of the Alafia River in west-central Florida. We are studying the status and distribution of the Suwannee cooter, Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis. This riverine turtle occurs in at least 18 rivers within Florida which flow into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read MoreTurtle Atlas held its first field trip. I was joined by Daniel Ksepka and Cynthia Ehlinger of the Bruce Museum, and two participants at Binney Park in Old Greenwich. This urban park is a great turtle spot. Although there is not a great diversity of species (only three), it is a fantastic spot to see large numbers of common snapping turtles.
Read MoreOne of the hands-on activities in Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past is a board game called the Tenrec's Tale. Tenrecs are amazing little creatures that rafted to the island millions of years ago. With a lack of competition from other animals, tenrecs evolved to fill many different habitats—diversifying into over 30 different species.
You play the game by drawing cards. Here are a few:
Read MoreThe unassuming turtle is usually not on the mind of most people, but they are a top priority for many conservation biologists. Turtles and tortoises are group of reptiles that are recognizable components of the ecosystems in which they inhabit. Turtles can play key ecological roles, serving as both predators and prey, contributing to the cycling of nutrients, and acting as seed dispersers. In fables and folklore, turtles have often been portrayed as wise, and revered as symbols of longevity and tranquility.
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At long last, our new science exhibition has opened. It's called Madagascar: Ghosts of the Past and is full of lemurs, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and live animals! The title has a dual meaning: in addition to featuring many extinct animals, Madagascar's signature lemurs were named after lemures—spirits of the dead in Roman mythology.
For the rest of the month, museum admission is free while we prepare for two new art installations, so come on by and visit the hissing cockroaches! There's also an upcoming lecture series featuring Madagascar experts and their scientific research. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
Here's a sneak peak at our newest exhibition, set to open April 11th. We're bringing live animals back to the museum with custom-made enclosures for Madagascar flora and fauna by our own Tim Walsh!
These are some of the largest cockroaches, but also some of the most docile. They can't fly and will be eating a mix of apples, carrots, and baby food during their stay at the Bruce Museum. Once the exhibition closes in November, they'll return to their home at the Discovery Room inside the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
We get this question often from visitors who recall the earlier days of the Bruce. It is not as strange of a question as you would think. Almost from the beginning, the Bruce Museum has maintained a collection of living animals. Originally, the Assistant Curator, Paul Griswold Howes, brought in various frogs, snakes, and aquarium animals. The monkeys were perhaps the most popular animals and included a male rhesus macaque named Joe who reached an age of 37 years, a near record for the species. There were also green monkeys that reproduced freely. In fact, the birth of the first baby green monkey brought in 500 visitors in one day just to catch a glimpse of the youngster.
Joe, the rhesus macaque, enjoying a snack in the old Bruce Museum zoo.
Over the years, the collection held sloths, kinkajous, flying squirrels, kangaroo mice, parrots, and even a northern copperhead that lived for 18 years at the museum. This “zoo” was wildly popular with our visitors, yet changing attitudes towards captive animals and changing plans for the museum led to the living collection’s disbanding by 1980. While not nearly as extensive, but just as popular, today the Bruce Museum maintains a marine aquarium with various species that live in Long Island Sound. We are proud to continue the tradition of exhibiting living specimens that engage, teach, and entertain visitors of all ages.
Children enjoy watching the marine aquarium inhabitants being fed. Photo by Cynthia Ehlinger.
Marine aquarium animal feedings happen every Tuesday and Friday at 2:30-2:45pm.
Tim Walsh
Our Science collection continues to grow. The latest addition is a set of six wonderful bird mounts, bringing some carcasses salvaged by the museum back to life. It's particularly nice to add a foot-propelled diving Common Loon and a wing-propelled diving Dovekie in this batch. Joining them are a perched Barred Owl, "anting" Blue Jay (posed spreading its feathers for a free dry cleaning courtesy of ants), a skulking American Coot, and a barely visible (in this photo) Wood Thrush. They join their colleagues in the rotation for natural history exhibits this month.
Stories about animals and artifacts by scientists at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT
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