BE ADVISED: On Friday, May 15, the North American Mammal Hall and African Mammal Hall on Level 1 will be closed in preparation for Bug Fair. The North American Mammal Hall on Level 2 will remain open.

BE ADVISED: On Thursday, May 14, USC Commencement ceremonies at the LA Memorial Coliseum will impact traffic, parking, and wayfinding around the Natural History Museum. Please plan your visit accordingly, and consider riding the Metro E (Expo) Line and exiting at USC/Expo station.

Browse by Topic

Mammals

Exhibitions

closeup of two elephants from the side that appear to have their trunks and tusks entwined

Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards

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African and North American Diorama Halls

Discover breathtakingly realistic scenes of wild animals in their habitats in the Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Oschin Family Hall of African Mammals and the North American Diorama Hall.

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Events

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Child in yellow t-shirt with a name tag and holding up an insect encased in a yellow block on a stick

nhm

Kids & Family Youth

Adventures in Nature Day Camp: Insect Investigators

Join us for bug-themed projects, up-close encounters with live bugs, time in the Museum’s expansive Nature Gardens and Nature Lab, and the chance to meet real museum entomologists!

Learn more

weekly

through 07/02/26

12:00 am

nhm

Kids & Family Youth

Adventures in Nature Day Camp: Insect Investigators

Join us for bug-themed projects, up-close encounters with live bugs, time in the Museum’s expansive Nature Gardens and Nature Lab, and the chance to meet real museum entomologists!

Learn more

weekly

through 07/02/26

12:00 am

nhm

Kids & Family Youth

Adventures in Nature Day Camp: Insect Investigators

Join us for bug-themed projects, up-close encounters with live bugs, time in the Museum’s expansive Nature Gardens and Nature Lab, and the chance to meet real museum entomologists!

Learn more

weekly

through 07/02/26

12:00 am

nhm

Kids & Family Youth

Adventures in Nature Day Camp: Insect Investigators

Join us for bug-themed projects, up-close encounters with live bugs, time in the Museum’s expansive Nature Gardens and Nature Lab, and the chance to meet real museum entomologists!

Learn more

weekly

through 07/02/26

12:00 am

Stories

Meet Masripithecus: Newly Described Ancient Ape Fills a Gap in Evolutionary History of Primates

An international team of researchers add a new chapter in the story of apes—including us humans—starting around 18 million years ago in North Africa

An artistic reconstruction of a herd of ancient sea cows foraging on the seafloor.

For Ancient and Modern Seagrass Ecosystems, Having a (Sea)Cow Is Super Important

A new species of extinct dugong from the Persian Gulf highlights sea cows as underwater lawn mowers protecting biodiversity

Illustration of aquatic sloths chilling by the beach next to some penguins and sea lions during a sun set

Dive Into the Weird Miocene World of Aquatic Sloths

A new paper by an international team of researchers, including NHM's Curator of Marine Mammals, Dr. Jorge Velez-Juarbe, uncovers more secrets of aquasloths with one of the most complete skeletons ever discovered

Coyote skull in the process of being cleaned by dermestid beetles

Behind the Scenes With The Flesh-Eating Beetles Preparing Museum Specimens

Meet the smallest and possibly most gruesome members of NHM's collection staff: flesh-eating Dermestid beetles. CONTENT WARNING: Specimen preparation is metal. There are a lot of images of dead animals in different states of decay and preparation below.

Bat Specimens from the Mammalogy Collection laid back to back with their specimen tags visible

Digitized Mammals

How the new digitization project Ranges is unlocking the potential of NHM's Mammalogy Collection

A Northern White Rhino Skeleton From the San Diego Zoo Comes to NHM

The new specimen highlights the crucial relationship zoos play in ensuring rare and endangered species are represented in museum collections.

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Backyard Bats

This survey, which is supported by the Disney Conservation Fund, is an opportunity to broaden awareness and interest in conserving species found in urban areas.