Alabama Museum of Natural History

Whooping cranes are the rarest of the world's 15 crane species. The whooping crane population declined dramatically due to habitat loss, uncontrolled hunting, and other factors. By 1950, only about 20 of the birds remained. Today, collaborative efforts are making progress in recovering the whooping crane population, and Alabama’s Wheeler Wildlife Refuge has become a contributing resource for this recovery, providing vital wetland habitat for the cranes’ annual migration south. Watch Alabama Public Television on August 18 at 11:30 am.

TEACHER GUIDE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/3vZ0XkJ

Happy ! Mastodons roamed Alabama during the Pleistocene. Here's one of the best preserved skulls on display at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, or a selfie that did not work out for one of us 😆.

📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

Alabama has had five different capitals since its first territorial legislature made the claim for statehood. Discovering Alabama visits each of these capital sites, examines archival records, and interviews a number of historians, archaeologists, educators, and others in telling the interesting stories associated with the history of Alabama’s five state capitals. Watch Alabama Public Television on August 11 at 11:30 am.

TEACHER GUIDE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/3qcxPEh

This year, Discovering Alabama celebrates a rare accomplishment as the Emmy-winning program reaches its 40th year and is now among the longest-running TV series in television history. The series has completed over 100 episodes to date, showcasing Alabama’s natural history and natural environment, and covering all aspects of the state’s natural diversity – geology, forests, rivers, flora, fauna, and related aspects of cultural history. The acclaimed series is a favorite for viewers across the state and a popular instructional resource in Alabama schools.

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It's ! Crabs got pretty big in the Cretaceous compared to the Jurassic, both for the average and maximum size. 🦀 Collector and Research Associate George Martin shows off large claws from a Late Cretaceous individual from Alabama.

Previous scientific paper about crab size: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.0440

Specimen: The University of Alabama Museums
📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

It's ! Mastodon fossils have been found in many places in Alabama. Here's one vertebra from the ~150 records of this species in The University of Alabama Museums' collections. A remarkable skull and other remains are on display.

📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

Discovering Alabama's host and creator, Doug Phillips, enjoys an interview visit with the late world-renowned ecologist and Alabama native, Dr. E.O. Wilson. Dr. Wilson was a friend of Discovering Alabama for many years and appeared in a number of Discovering Alabama programs presenting his environmental insights. Watch Alabama Public Television on July 28 at 11:30 am.

As an environmental educator for the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Dr. Doug Phillips knew that the natural world could bridge the disciplines for a cross-curriculum approach to teaching. Celebrate 40 Years of Discovering Alabama by downloading the show's Teacher Guides which are available as free PDFs!

TEACHER GUIDES: ➡️ https://bit.ly/3JwQyAy

It's ! Trace fossils (ichnofossils) provide a wealth of information about ancient ecosystems. Here's a drill hole in a Cretaceous oyster made by a predatory snail. The snail shells are dissolved, but their traces indicate their presence.

• Collection: The University of Alabama Museums
📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

The interests of people and the diverse wildlife and natural habitats of the Gulf are often at odds with each other. But there ARE ways all can thrive. Discovering Alabama's Doug Phillips looks at the challenges of the future on Alabama's coast. Watch Alabama Public Television on July 21 at 11:30 am.

The University of Alabama Museums' paleontology collection contains over 1,000 mosasaur records, making it one of the largest mosasaur collections in the world! Visit the Alabama Museum of Natural History to see an exhibit about the Safford Mosasaur, which was found in Dallas County, Alabama in 1996 by a group of college students from Northwest Florida State College. The skull in our exhibit is a complete reconstruction of the one that was found almost 30 years ago. In addition to the reconstructed skull, we have included some fragments of the original skull.

LEARN MORE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/3W4KdDl

It's ! Bony fish were affected, but survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event ~66 million year ago. Here's one Alabama example from ~2 Ma after this event.

• Specimen: The University of Alabama Museums
• Collector and preparator: George Martin
📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

Discovering Alabama's Doug Phillips continues to explore Alabama’s unique Gulf Coast. Follow the human history of the Gulf, from the earliest settlements to the modern day, and see what attracts people to this beautiful area. Watch Alabama Public Television on July 14 at 11:30 am.

The Sensory Sea at the Alabama Museum of Natural History provides visitors with a low-light, quiet, sensory-friendly space where they can decompress. Located on the mezzanine level of the Museum, this space includes fidget toys, wobble seats, educational books, noise-blocking headphones, bubble light tubes, and various sensory objects and toys to help alleviate stress.

PLAN YOUR VISIT: ➡️ https://bit.ly/46gcxFM

In this first part of a three-part look at Alabama's Gulf Coast, Discovering Alabama's Doug Phillips explores the natural history of the coastal region and why this area is home to such an amazing diversity of wildlife. Watch Alabama Public Television on July 7 at 11:30 am.

Happy ‼ Who doesn't like a neat fossil fish from the Cretaceous? 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙧𝙖𝙚𝙣𝙖 was a swordfish-like predator up to several meters long. Here's a jaw of an Alabama specimen. 😀

• Specimen: The University of Alabama Museums
• Collectors: Garrett Skurka and Michael Garner
📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, UA Museums' Curator of Paleontology

Happy ! The Alabama Museum of Natural History will be closed today and will reopen on July 5th.

The University of Alabama Museums house several million items from prehistoric fossils to ancient tools to animal specimens of all sorts to sports memorabilia – and pretty much anything in between. Visitors can see many of these items on display, but the public exhibits only scratch the surface of what UA Museums’ department of museum research and collections manages. These items are used by researchers, including students, from around the world and also for teaching and outreach.

READ MORE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/3XNnOM1

It's ! Mary Jane Rathbun described >30 fossil decapod crustacean species from Alabama in her classic monograph from 1935, more than anyone else thus far. 😮 Here's one crab 🦀 species from the early Paleocene (~63 Ma).

📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, The University of Alabama Museums' Curator of Paleontology

Alabama State Parks turned 75 in 2014, and Discovering Alabama's Dr. Doug Phillips invites you to “Come along with me as we explore a place we can all call our own.” This episode visits all 22 State Parks to reveal how—since 1939—our parks offer recreation, education and inspiration for each and everyone of us. Watch Alabama Public Television on June 30 at 11:30 am.

TEACHER GUIDE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/44tM1Ht

We beat the Alabama summer heat by wading through the cool water at Shark Tooth Creek during our sold out June 25th Fossil Excursion! Thanks to everyone who ventured out to the creek with us!

Join Discovering Alabama's Dr. Doug Phillips as he pays tribute to the greatest of our state’s natural wonders: the Alabama Countryside. Watch Alabama Public Television on June 23 at 11:30 am.

TEACHER GUIDE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/436Suqz

In observance of the Juneteenth holiday, all of The University of Alabama offices as well as the Alabama Museum of Natural History will be closed today. The Museum will reopen on Thursday, June 20.

This year, Discovering Alabama is celebrating 40 years in creating television programming and educating viewers about the state of Alabama! Take a look back at one of our first episodes, "Cheaha Mountain Talladega National Forest", on the show's YouTube channel.

WATCH HERE: ➡️ https://bit.ly/4cknngs

It's ! The Alabama Museum of Natural History's summer trips to Alabama's famous shark tooth creek with countless Cretaceous vertebrate and invertebrate fossils have started this past Wednesday! 🦈 Some of the less common finds are in Dr. Klompmaker's hand. What are they?

📷 : Dr. Adiel Klompmaker, The University of Alabama Museums' Curator of Paleontology