Canadian Museum of Nature

🌿 Happy Houseplant Day! 🌿
Join us in celebrating the greenery that brightens the at-home workspaces of museum staff! 🏛️🌱 Our employees have turned their desks into mini indoor gardens, showcasing an incredible variety of houseplants. From vibrant hoyas to majestic palm trees, our team's love for greenery knows no bounds! 🌿✨
Take a peek into our botanical wonderland and get inspired to bring some green goodness into your own space! Share your favourite houseplant with us in the comments below. Let's spread the joy of indoor gardening! 🪴💚

📸 Canadian Museum of Nature Staff

Interested in being a science interpreter at the museum? You're in luck as we have new positions available! Application deadline: January 21, 2024.

Apply today! https://nature.ca/en/careers/

it can take up to two hours for a snowflake to fall from a cloud to the ground? Visit snowflake.nature.ca to create your own virtual snowflake, then share it on social and tag to have your snowflake included in our online gallery! Are you looking for snowy inspiration? Take a close look at snowflakes outside next time it snows!

📸 Canva

🎁 Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Michelle’s favourite thing: Coprolite.

💩 Believe it or not, fossilized p**p contains a lot of information about how dinosaurs lived – like where they roamed and what they ate!

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

A reminder that The Canadian Museum of Nature will be closed from January 8th to 12th for our annual 'Deep Clean Expedition.' From dusting off fossils to vacuuming our polar bears (yes, we actually vacuum them!), we're making sure every nook and cranny gleams! See you on the squeaky clean side; we'll be open and back to regular hours on Saturday, January 13 from 9:30 AM - 4:00! 🚿✨ https://nature.ca/en/visit-us/plan-your-visit/hours/

📸 janetjstephens66 on IG

☃️ Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Anne’s favourite thing: Pumice Stone with Water.

🌋 Pumice is a volcanic rock that floats in water due to its average porosity (the measure of void spaces in a material) of 90%.

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

What kind of sea creatures live in the coldest places in the world? 🪼🧊 Renowned explorer and museum scientist Kathy Conlan spent her career studying and taking photos of Arctic and Antarctic marine life. Take a look at some of these amazing images and find out how we’re digitizing thousands of them in this museum blog!

Under the Sea - Canadian Museum of Nature There’s a lot of life under the ice! Find out how Ruth Bryce is digitizing thousands of photos of Arctic and Antarctic marine life, taken by renowned explorer and museum scientist Kathy Conlan.

🍖 Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Sarah’s favourite thing: Carnivore Jawbone.

🦖 Daspletosaurus’ name means “frightful lizard.” Its sharp conical teeth were the perfect adaptation for shredding and tearing into its prey.

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

🚧🧹 Attention nature lovers! We're taking a mini spa week from January 8th to 12th to pamper our beloved exhibits. It's 'Clean-a-saurus Rex' time, and we'll all be working to give our dinosaurs the freshest glow and our whale skeleton a spa-worthy ammonia bath! 🦕🛁 We'll be back open on Saturday, January 13, from 9:30 AM - 4:00, sparkling brighter than ever! ✨ https://nature.ca/en/visit-us/plan-your-visit/hours/

Wishing you a roaring start to 2024 from all the prehistoric creatures, marine wonders, teeny creepy crawlers and our amazing team at the Canadian Museum of Nature! 🌟🦕🦋 🌊🐾 May this year be packed with joy, a spirit of curiosity, an appreciation for nature, and a whole lot of happiness! Happy New Year! 🥳

📸 bhanot.rishabh on IG

☃️ Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Katy’s favourite thing: Manatee Flipper.

👋 The bones in a manatee's flipper are similar to a human hand. The jointed, finger-like bones of the flipper help the manatee move through the water, bring food to its mouth, and even hold objects.🌊

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

🐢 Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Diego’s favourite thing: Leatherback Sea Turtle Skull.

🍽️ The leatherback sea turtle’s beak ends in a sharp point called a cusp, which helps it to pierce the soft tissue of its preferred food – jellyfish! 🪼

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

✨ Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Gabe’s favourite thing: Bleached Coral.

🪸 Coral rely on the algae that live in their tissues to survive. The photosynthesis of these algae (zooxanthellae) provides corals with their food and vibrant colours.

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

☃️ Our science interpreters are sharing some of their Favourite Things from the museum! Here’s a fun fact about Johee’s favourite thing: Dried Sea Star Specimen.

🌟 Sea stars digest their prey outside their bodies by pushing their stomach through their mouth and enveloping their prey. Once their food has been digested into a liquid-like consistency, the stomach is drawn back into the sea star’s body. This is called external digestion.💫

🌲 Visit the museum between Dec. 23 and Jan. 7 to see some more of our Favourite Things and don’t forget to share some of YOUR with us on social media!

Holiday hours reminder! The Museum has special holiday hours, from December 26 until January 7! We're open Monday - Sunday, 9:30 AM - 5 PM, and open late on Thursdays until 8 PM. We will be closed on December 26 and January 1. We hope to see you at the Museum! Book your visit now at nature.ca/tickets

📸 S. Young

Make the Canadian Museum of Nature a part of your Thursday-night plans, with ✨FREE✨ admission from 5 pm-8 pm brought to you by Canada Life Co. Book your tickets in advance online. ➡️ https://bit.ly/3JBWdFS

☃️ Planning your visit to the Museum over the holidays? Here’s what you need to know:

🎁 Favourite Things! Our science interpreters will be showing off a few of their favourite things in the atrium and helping you find yours! Make sure to let us know what YOUR Favourite Things are!

🦉 Owls Rendez-Vous (1st floor, outside) is a chance to come face-to-face with live owls in this special outdoor exhibition! This exhibit is included in general admission.

🪸 The Pacific Discovery Tank (Water Gallery, 2nd floor), where you can interact creatures from the west-coast tide pools, will be open from 10 AM -12 PM & 1 PM - 4 PM daily, & until 7:30 PM on Thursdays (hours subject to change).

🐺 Wolves! Shape-shifters in a Changing World (3rd floor) is an opportunity to explore the story & evolution of human’s best friend through incredible wildlife photography and scientific research. This exhibit is included with general admission.

🦥 Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest (4th floor) is where you can see live animals found in rainforests from across the planet! This might be your last chance to see it as the exhibit closes Jan. 7. Additional ticket required.

❄️ ᓄᓇᑦᑎᓂ ᑕᑯᒥᓇᕐᑐᖁᑎᕗᑦ | Our Land, Our Art (Canada Goose Arctic Gallery, 4th floor) offers a glimpse into Nunavik in all its beauty through the eyes of Indigenous artists. This exhibit is included in general admission.

📆 From December 27 to January 7, hours of admission will be from 9:30 AM to 5 PM Monday through Sunday, open until 8 PM on Thursdays. The Museum will be closed December 24, 25, 26, & January 1.

Skip the line, save time and book your tickets in advance online at nature.ca.

📸 M. Lipman (bottom right and left images)

They might be beautiful pieces of nature art, but photographing these bronze whale sculptures proved more challenging than you might think. To learn more, read the museum’s latest blog.

Having a Whale of a Time: Photographing the Bronze Whale Collection - Canadian Museum of Nature Join Gabriella Ruggero, Photo Collection Student, as she overcomes the challenges of photographing shiny, bronze whale sculptures for the museum’s digitized platforms.

Happy Winter Solstice! ❄️ Today, December 21st, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, but it also brings the promise of more daylight ahead. The winter solstice marks the exact moment when half of Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun. ☀️ Because less sunlight reaches Earth, the winter solstice is also the day of the year with the least amount of daylight, known as the shortest day of the year. But the good news is that every day after the winter solstice will be a little longer until we reach the day with the most daylight hours: the summer solstice in June! ☀️

📸 eighty_one_images on IG

Full Moon Alert! 🌕 Just in time for Christmas, it's the full moon of December! Also known as the Cold Moon, or the Long Night Moon, December’s full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row: December 25, 26, and 27. 🎅 🌕 To our eyes, the Moon’s disk will appear fully illuminated a couple of days before a full Moon, so start looking on December 24 and 25 towards the east after sunset as it peaks over the horizon. Happy moon gazing! 🌕

📸 Canva

New Hours for the Holidays! The Museum has special holiday hours, from December 24 until January 7! We're open Monday - Sunday, 9:30 AM - 5 PM, and open late on Thursdays until 8 PM. We will be closed on December 24, 25, 26, and January 1. We hope to see you at the Museum! Book your visit now at nature.ca/tickets.

📸 S. Young

This holiday season, dive into the wonders of nature!
🌿🎁
From captivating keepsakes to insightful books and engaging science projects, our Nature Boutique has something for everyone. Explore unique gift ideas that celebrate the beauty of our world! Plus, unlock exclusive benefits and experiences with our museum memberships. Give the gift of discovery and joy.

Learn more about memberships:
https://nature.ca/en/join-give/become-a-member/

📸 S. Young

You’re already a nature lover, why not make it official? 🥰 Introducing our Individual Membership, priced at just $69 for those 13 years and above! Gain exclusive access to our museum's exhibitions, events, and special programs and become part of a lively community of like-minded nature enthusiasts, PLUS enjoy TWO special exhibitions for the price of ONE!

Ask us about our student and senior membership discounts! https://nature.ca/en/join-give/become-a-member/

📸 johareid on IG

A starry night in the Beyond Ice installation✨ Great photo !

Do you want your photos to be featured on our page?
📸 Then tag us Museum of Nature (ou canadien de la nature en français!) in your pics of the mammoths, our glowing moon, or you and your family enjoying nature. We can't wait to see nature through your lens!

📸 on Instagram

How do you photograph a mirror without reflecting yourself? This past summer, Photo Collection student, Gabriella Ruggero digitized shiny, mirror-like bronze whale sculptures. Read her blog to learn how she photographed these beautiful works of nature art.

Having a Whale of a Time: Photographing the Bronze Whale Collection - Canadian Museum of Nature Join Gabriella Ruggero, Photo Collection Student, as she overcomes the challenges of photographing shiny, bronze whale sculptures for the museum’s digitized platforms.

This holiday season, unwrap the wonders of nature!
🎁✨
Dive into our Nature Boutique and discover gifts that spark joy and curiosity. From captivating keepsakes to hands-on science projects to books for all ages, find unique presents that celebrate the beauty of our planet.
🎁✨
Skip the rush—get your holiday shopping done early, and the best part? No museum admission required! Explore the perfect gifts for nature enthusiasts at the Nature Boutique.

📸 S. Young

They're colourful crusts that grow all around us: Troy McMullin, a research scientist and head of botany at the Canadian Museum of Nature tells us why he likes lichens.

Listen now on Fresh Air with Ismaila Alfa on cbc.ca

🎄 Planning your holiday visit to the Museum? Don't miss these seasonal delights!

🐺 Wolves! - Explore the evolutionary marvels and captivating adaptations of these magnificent creatures through stunning photography and in-depth research.

🌿 Under the Canopy (Closing January 7) - Dive into the rainforest world! Discover its secrets and meet live creatures before this captivating exhibit bids farewell. Additional ticket required.

🐠 Pacific Discovery Tank - Immerse yourself in the Pacific coast tidal pools' magic! View mesmerizing sea creatures and dive into the wonders of the ocean's biodiversity.

🎁 Favourite Things (December 23 - January 7) - Uncover our team's cherished treasures and add a touch of wonder to your visit!

Escape the cold and join us for a holiday adventure! ❄️✨ Skip the line, save time and book your tickets in advance online at nature.ca

📸 M. Lipman (Under the Canopy & Wolves!)