Category Archives: Animals

Whale composting: Letting bacteria do the hard work of specimen defleshing

Posted on May 1, 2019 by

Marie-Hélène Hubert reports that when it comes to preparing 40-year-old, formalin-preserved whale specimens, composting is a collection staffer’s best friend. Continue reading →

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Bees and Wasps: Providing Ecosystem Services with a Point

Posted on April 3, 2019 by

Thomas Onuferko says it’s high time to drop the fear and start spreading the buzz about wasps’ ecological importance. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Nature Inspiration, Species Discovery and Change | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

In Jassa mating: A thumb matters

Posted on March 6, 2019 by

Kathleen Conlan writes that after 30 years she’s still captivated by the role of male thumbs in a shrimp-like love story. Continue reading →

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A possible new species almost found — but lost

Posted on February 20, 2019 by

Brian Coad recounts the tale of a possibly new blind cave fish species that had him hooked, but sadly was lost. Continue reading →

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Cruising the Globe Undetected

Posted on November 28, 2018 by

Kathy Conlan reports on the gooey voyages of a tiny global hitchhiker. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Species Discovery and Change, Water | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

War Ornithologists

Posted on November 11, 2018 by

During the two world wars, biologists and ornithologists who were enlisted as soldiers observed bird behaviour and even collected specimens. Meet three ornithologist soldiers whose specimens made their way to the museum. Continue reading →

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Finnish moth species is asexual with benefits

Posted on September 19, 2018 by

Veronica Chevasco reports that a species of Finnish moth is asexual with benefits. Continue reading →

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Museum birds tell their tale

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

What can be learned from a bird’s nest from 1925? Or from a Bird of Paradise collected in the middle of the last century? Michel Gosselin shows us five specimens from the Museum’s bird collection that each tell a very special story. Continue reading →

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Museum’s millions-strong Arctic marine invertebrates collection gets digitized

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

Thanks to Beaty family donation, the museum is digitizing the collection information for its millions of Arctic marine invertebrates, writes Samantha Brooksbank. Continue reading →

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The teething of the shrew

Posted on March 7, 2018 by

How do you tell apart Canada’s 19 species of shrews? Elliot Schmidt says it’s a no-brainer: Look at the teeth. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Collections, Mammals, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment