Moth
Scientific name: Brahmaea hearseyi
Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Trilobite / CAS-G 67985.01
Scientific name: Psychopyge elegans
Locality: Morocco
Age: Devonian
Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Bowl, effigy (frog) with rattle / CAS 0227-0167
Culture: Maya
Country: Guatemala; Site: Chalchitan
Materials: Clay
Dimensions (cm): Height = 7.8, Thickness = 0.6, Max Diam = 10.0
Department: Anthropology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Jewel beetles
Scientific name: Euchroma gigantea
Locality: South America (Central Mexico to Chile/Argentina)
Department: Entomology, image © Kathryn Whitney, California Academy of Sciences
Black rhino / CAS-MAM 12239
Scientific name: Diceros bicornis
Locality: AFRICA: Kenya, 91 miles east of Nairobi, near upper reaches of Tana River, near Kiambere
Collector: D. Witter
Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences
In context: Watch “Tough Skin, Fragile Future” (3:17) on our YouTube channel to learn how Academy scientists and exhibit conservators transported and prepared this important research specimen, donated to the Academy in 1952, for our recent exhibit, Skin. As habitat loss and poaching push the black rhinoceros closer to extinction in the wild, Academy scientists hope this specimen will inspire visitors and deepen their understanding of today’s most pressing conservation challenges.
Giant stag beetle
Scientific name: Dorcus titanus (male)
Department: Preserved specimen from the Steinhart Aquarium; image © Maggie West in collaboration with NightLife
Effigy jar (coati) / CAS 0227-0030
Culture: Maya
Country: Guatemala; Site: Chalchitan
Materials: Clay; pigment
Dimensions (cm): Height = 8.1, Width = 6.7, Thickness = 0.4, Rim Diam = 4.5, Length = 8.8
Department: Anthropology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Death’s-head hawkmoth
Scientific name: Acherontia atropos
Locality: Sumatra, Indonesia
Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Northern shoveler / CAS-ORN 99934
Scientific name: Anas clypeata
Higher geography: North America, USA, California
Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences
Crab / CAS-G 72079
Scientific name: Harpactocarcinus punctulatus
Locality: Monte Bolca, Verona, Italy
Age: Eocene
Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences
(Editorial note: Yes, it’s a real fossil! The Monte Bolca site this crab was collected from is considered a Lagerstätte, a “site that contains exquisitely-preserved fossils, typically representing a diversity of organisms.”)
African moon moth
Scientific name: Argema mimosae
Department: Preserved specimen from the Steinhart Aquarium; image © Maggie West in collaboration with NightLife
Red-tailed hawk / CAS-ORN 92406
Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis
Higher Geography: North America
Department: Ornithology & Mammalogy, image © California Academy of Sciences
Grinning tun (sea snail) / CAS-G 60811
Scientific name: Malea ringens
Locality: Baja California, Mexico
Age: Pliocene
Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Dire wolf / CAS-G 61485
Scientific name: Canis dirus
Age: Pleistocene
Locality: California, USA, North America
Department: Invertebrate Zoology & Geology, image © California Academy of Sciences
Giant leaf insects
Scientific name: Phyllium giganteum
Locality: West Malaysia, Pahang State, Kameron Highlands
Department: Entomology, image © California Academy of Science