black stink bug
Nature in L.A.

Stink Beetle Hits the Trails

A sneak peek at NHM's Wild L.A. - A nature guide for Angelenos. The following is one of 100 species accounts in the book.
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Bat, Collections, Natural LA
Nature in L.A.

L.A. Bats Fight On!

At first, I was content just watching the bats fly around, dipping and turning across the night sky. But then I remembered I had a bat detector in my pocket. Nerd alert!
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image of Gaper Clam
Nature in L.A.

Was Hancock Park Beachfront Property 120,000 Years Ago?

Pacific Gaper Clam: A large, common bivalve that inhabits sandy areas of bays along an open coast, often buried a foot or more.
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These little anemones were collected and photographed live, but have not yet been identified. Anemones are related to corals and jellies (also known as jellyfish, from back when anything in the ocean was a “fish”). Anemones look so peaceful with their saying tentacles, but they use those to sting animals that pass by so they can paralyze them and eat them.
Research and Collections

Tiny Marine Marvels

DISCO collects specimens down by the docks
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blue belly lizard
Research and Collections

What to Wear When Lizard Watching

Choose your outfit carefully before you go on a nature walk.
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A few of the six-million-year-old coprolites (fossilized feces) of extinct bone-crushing dogs; the one on the right has visible bits of bone sticking out. (Ouch.)
Research and Collections

The Proof Is in the Pooping

Fossilized feces help confirm the diet of extinct “bone-crushing” dogs
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