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It's time for Trilobite Tuesday. These 2-in- (5.1-cm-) long specimens—contained in a block of limestone from the Ordovician outcrops of Tennessee—are considered Gabriceraurus trilobites. Long viewed as an unidentified species of Ceraurus, such classifications can change based on new research.

🌈 Check out the rainbow leaf beetle! Though widely distributed across Europe, this insect is seldom seen. Growing ~0.5 in (1.3 cm) in size, it feeds on plants including ivy, roses, & thyme. This beetle inhabits montane forests at elevations of ~1970 ft (600 m). Photo: Slimguy, Wikimedia Commons

This parasitic plant smells like a rotting corpse: jackal food. Unlike many plants, which use photosynthesis, this species attaches itself to host plants & siphons off their nutrients. Its flavor & texture have been compared to that of a potato. Photo: Alex Lansdowne, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Happy birthday to Vera Rubin, born on this day in 1928! An acclaimed scientist, Rubin's observations established the presence of dark matter in galaxies. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences & awarded the National Medal of Science. Photo: NOIRLab, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Behold the common snapping turtle! This robust reptile can weigh more than 70 lbs (31.8 kg). Its diet includes birds, small mammals, fish, and aquatic vegetation. And? It can survive for up to 30 years in the wild! Photo: Jody Benedict, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

Cheetahs don’t have stripes, or do they? When scientists first observed the "king cheetah," it was thought to be a new species. Today, we know its striped patterning is actually the result of a genetic mutation. Only a handful of these cats have ever been seen in the wild. Photo: StuPorts, iStock

On this day in 1969, Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon! The journey was an astounding achievement: Scientific results & specimens gathered by Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin on the surface fueled research long after the mission's end. Photo: NASA, PD, Wikimedia Commons

Did you know? The Museum's Apatosaurus was originally displayed with the wrong skull. Because this dino's remains were incomplete, a speculative skull (based on a different sauropod—Camarasaurus) was sculpted. As new research emerged, it was updated.

Happy #WorldSnakeDay! 🐍 We’re heading into the Museum’s Department of Herpetology to learn some interesting facts about these diverse and important reptiles.

My sketch of @amnh.org, drawn from a bench on Central Park West #urbsnsketchers

🌇Celebrate Manhattanhenge, 7 pm ➡️Join Associate Curator Jackie Faherty in the LeFrak Theater for a lecture on the rare alignment of the setting Sun with Manhattan’s street grid, using the Museum’s OpenSpace software. Ticket required.

🗣️Don't miss these events at the Museum today! 🗽From Stoops to Stadiums: How New Yorkers Play, 3–10 pm ➡️In celebration of FIFA World Cup 2026, the Museum invites you to a block party and Manhattanhenge viewing event! This free event draws inspiration from the sports and games of the five boroughs.

(1/8) For #FossilFriday – What can ~555-million-year-old fossils tell us about the earliest animal behaviors? Excited to share a new article with Blakely Webb, @chemosymbiosis.bsky.social, Bill Parker & @marydroser.bsky.social in Scientific Reports investigating evidence of motility in Spriggina

Come one come all! www.amnh.org/calendar/mot...

For #FossilFriday, meet the oldest known "righty" in the animal kingdom & the earliest animal with a head: Spriggina floundersi. It measured just a few centimeters long & favored its right side, according to research led by @amnh.org's assistant curator of invertebrate paleontology Scott Evans 🧪

This handedness may be a clue that Spriggina had a surprisingly advanced nervous system, giving new insights into how complex brains evolved! Read more about the findings, led by Scott Evans (@fossilslablab.bsky.social), an assistant curator of invertebrate paleontology at the Museum.👇

Are you right- or left-handed? You may have something in common with this 550-million-year-old animal! 🤯 👉 Meet Spriggina—the world’s first “right-handed” animal! Long before dinosaurs, this little organism crawled along a slime-covered seafloor and preferred bending to the right.

Meet the Pacific stargazer, an ambush hunter spends most of its life buried beneath the sand. Its upturned face allows it to see even when most of its body is concealed. And? It's capable of stunning prey with electrical shocks of ~50 volts! Photo: alboertoalcala, CC BY 4.0 iNaturalist

Following the program, gather outdoors for a Manhattanhenge viewing event! Enjoy the vibrant sounds of the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra as the city is bathed in golden evening light. Get tickets: amnh.link/4ypEmtF

🌇The Museum’s Manhattanhenge program returns this Saturday, 7/11, with a lecture & viewing event celebrating the last opportunity to see the Manhattanhenge effect in 2026. Join Associate Curator Jackie Faherty for an exploration of the rare alignment of the setting Sun with Manhattan’s street grid.