AUMNH
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AUMNH
@aumnh.bsky.social
The mission of Auburn University Museum of Natural History is to document, understand, and preserve biodiversity in order to educate people of all ages about our planet’s rich natural history.

Learn more at aumnh.auburn.edu
✨Meet Ray!✨

🦴Ray Willhite teaches anatomy at AUCVM and is our Curator of Paleontology. He researches
sauropod dinosaurs, alligators, sloths, and giraffes. He loves teaching and inspiring
students!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #cosam #vetmed
February 2, 2026 at 5:19 PM
🐎Protohippus gidleyi lived millions of years ago in Alabama!

This three-toed, ancient horse shows early adaptations to grasslands. Its worn teeth helped
grind plants, and its fossils tell the story of horse evolution in our state.

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #YearOfTheHorse #FossilFriday
January 30, 2026 at 6:27 PM
🪰 🐎 Kicking off Year of the Horse, insect-style!

This paratype of horse-fly species (Tabanus wilsoni) was described in 1962. With over 3,000 species in Tabaninae, paratypes help scientists document natural variation and insect diversity!

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #YearOfTheHorse #tabanide
January 29, 2026 at 6:57 PM
January 27, 2026 at 8:01 PM
✨Please welcome our NEW Director, Brian! ✨

🦋Brian researches how genetics & the environment shape development. He has spent decades studying butterfly wing patterns and loves combining
fieldwork and lab research!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#aumnh #cosam #auburnuniversity
January 26, 2026 at 5:19 PM
The secretive Red Hills salamander lives just beneath the surface. Biologists from #ALNHP use environmental DNA (eDNA) from burrow soil to detect these threatened, endemic creatures without disturbing them—helping guide conservation. 🌱🔬

📷 1-2: Jim Godwin
📷 3: Kevin Hutchinson

#FromTheFieldFriday
January 23, 2026 at 8:55 PM
✨Meet Francesca✨

🐍Our ALNHP researcher studies Eastern Indigo Snakes & other endangered species. She loves spending time in the field with reptiles and amphibians and enjoys scuba diving, reading, baking, and traveling!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#alnhp #aumnh #auburnuniversity
January 19, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Happy #FossilFriday!

🦴Our paleontology curator, Ray Willhite, was featured on the Prehistoric Life Podcast doing a deep dive into sauropod limbs

Check out the full episode
🔗 youtube.com/clip/UgkxXBo...

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #paleontology #sauropods #anatomy #prehistoriclifepodcast
January 16, 2026 at 4:44 PM
And their feet…know as tarsi ate oversized and are covered in adhesive bristles, letting them cling to palm leaves with surprising strength! 🪲🌴
Feet look familiar !
January 13, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Those cute feet are another great survival skill 🐾

Their oversized tarsi are covered in adhesive bristles, letting them cling to palm leaves with surprising strength.
Odd habit but cute feet.
Small beetle. Big survival skills. 🐞

As larvae, the palmetto tortoise beetles (Hemisphaerota cyanea) hide under nests made of their own fecal thatch to hide from predators!

📸1: Matt Edmonds
📸2&3: Melissa Callahan

#coleoptera #tortoisebeetle #specimenspotlight #aumnh #auburnuniversity
#entomology
January 13, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Small beetle. Big survival skills. 🐞

As larvae, the palmetto tortoise beetles (Hemisphaerota cyanea) hide under nests made of their own fecal thatch to hide from predators!

📸1: Matt Edmonds
📸2&3: Melissa Callahan

#coleoptera #tortoisebeetle #specimenspotlight #aumnh #auburnuniversity
#entomology
January 9, 2026 at 4:30 PM
✨ Meet Al! ✨

🌻Our Botanist has spent 30+ years studying AL's rarest plant life. He’s worked on conservation plans, monitoring and assessing plants. He enjoys photography, farming, and outdoor adventures!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#MuseumMonday #alnhp #aumnh #auburnuniversity
January 5, 2026 at 5:36 PM
✨🎊Ringing in the New Year with colors inspired by Pantone’s color of the year (Cloud Dancer) with colors from the natural world!

What is your favorite pick for 2026?

#pantone #coloroftheyear #aumnh #auburnuniversity #specimenspotlight
December 31, 2025 at 9:43 PM
✨ Meet Joe! ✨

🦎 Joe Jenkins is a Research Associate with #ALNHP He conducts research relevant to conservation of AL herps, like the Flattened Musk Turtle. He enjoys hunting to feed himself with wild game!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#MuseumMonday #aumnh #auburnunviersity
December 22, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by AUMNH
A crew from the @aumnh.bsky.social will be there! Brian Counterman and I and some of our lab members. #SSB2026
December 17, 2025 at 1:11 AM
#congrats to Dr. Morgan Muell, who completed her #PhD! 🎉

Morgan has contributed over 700 specimens to the #AUMNH collection and helped countless hours with our outreach department, including working as a camp counselor for our past two summers at Curious Curators!
December 15, 2025 at 8:02 PM
🪿✨Calling all birders! ✨🪿

Help contribute to the Auburn Christmas Bird Count on Wed, 12/17!

Learn more on our website:
🔗 aumnh.auburn.edu/citizen_scie...

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #ornitology #birdwatching #citizenscience #christmasbirdcount #cbc #audubon #fieldworkfriday #fromthefieldfriday
December 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
✨ Meet Jim! ✨

🦎 Our Staff Zoologist has spent 30+ years studying AL's amphibians & reptiles. He’s worked on Indigo Snake reintroduction, turtle research, and eDNA surveys—and loves exploring waterways!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#MuseumMonday #alnhp #aumnh #auburnunviersity
December 8, 2025 at 6:41 PM
📢Science Cafe is TONIGHT

Dr. Wendy Hood, our Curator of Mammals, will speak about her mitochondrial research: The Powerhouse of Bird Migration for COSAM Outreach’s Science Cafe!

📍Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, 149 East Magnolia Ave.
⏱️ 6:00-7:30 pm

#sciencecafe #cosam #auburn
December 4, 2025 at 10:31 PM
💜 #DYK American Beautyberry gets its purple color from plant pigments called anthocyanin, or antioxidants to protect the plant!

🍇 “Berry” excited to highlight the #SpecimenOfTheWeek!

✨American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
✨Credit Alex Abir on @inaturalist.bsky.social
December 2, 2025 at 11:01 PM
🏆 We’re excited to share that Auburn University is the winner of the 2025 #MarbleBowl

Our university had a total of 25,344 observations of 3,860 different species!

Thank you to our amazing campus community for supporting science, nature, and biodiversity all season long. #WarEagle! 🧡💙
December 2, 2025 at 10:54 PM
✨Meet Geoff! ✨

🦚Dr. Geoff Hill is a Professor and Curator of Birds. His research focuses on bright coloration in birds, especially red. Along with birding, he enjoys kayak fishing along the Alabama cost!

📍Stay tuned for our next #MeetTheTeamMonday!

#MuseumMonday #aumnh #cosam #auburnuniversity
December 1, 2025 at 9:43 PM
🐦 #DYK Blue jay color comes from the structure of the feathers, and not from a pigment!

🪶 "Fly" with us we highlight the our #SpecimenoftheWeek

Marble Bowl ends Sunday, Nov 30!

🔗 aub.ie/marblebowlAU

✨Credit user willowywisp on @inaturalist.bsky.social
✨Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
November 27, 2025 at 1:18 AM
🍁Have you been to the museum yet?Join us on our last First Wednesday Tour of the year on 12/3 to get a peak at the behind-the-scenes of each collection!

🦕Space is limited and registration is required

🔗https://aub.ie/Tours

#aumnh #auburnuniversity #museumtour #behindthescenes #collections
November 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM