A new study, led by Xavier Jenkins, a postdoctoral fellow in the Museum’s Division of Paleontology, finds the ancient reptile Eunotosaurus africanus is not in the turtle tree of life—reshaping how scientists think about turtle evolution. Read about the findings in our latest blog post.👇
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American Museum of Natural History
Study finds ancient reptile Eunotosaurus africanus is not in the turtle tree of life, changing turtle shells’ origin story.
Zinc-bearing minerals cause it to glow in green, while zinc-free calcite is what makes it glow in red. This extraordinary specimen, known as the Sterling Hill Slab, comes from the Sterling Hill Mine in Ogdensburg, New Jersey.
You won’t spot the Pink-necked Green Pigeon on the streets of NYC! This colorful bird can be found throughout forests in Southeast Asia, where it forages mainly for fruit. Females of this species lack pink necks and are mostly olive-green in color.
Photo: Yi-Kai Tea, CC BY-SA 4.0, iNaturalist
Meow! It’s Caturday. Meet the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). This critter is about the size of a large house cat, weighing in around 11 lbs (5 kg). It has a wide range across Asia, where it prefers to inhabit forests near water.
Photo: karsten-schmale_alcinus-consulting, CC BY-NC
Smile like Megalochelys atlas because it’s #FossilFriday! This species was one of the largest known land turtles & lived during the Late Pliocene ~2 million years ago. This specimen’s shell measures some 7.4 ft (2.3 m) long and in life, it may have weighed more than 2,000 lbs (907 kg)!
Meet the Etruscan shrew, one of the smallest living land mammals in the world! It only grows ~2.1 in (5.3 cm) long & weighs up to 0.1 oz (3 g). It can be found throughout southern Europe, northern Africa, & parts of Asia.
Photo: Laurent BOUVIN, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
Despite its name, the crab-eating fox is an omnivore with a wide-ranging menu. Found in parts of South America, this canid feeds on fruits, insects, birds, small mammals, and crustaceans!
Photo: gabriel_delasala, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist
