This past week the new Extreme Mammals exhibit opened at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). According to the AMNH site, this exhibit features animals that “depart significantly from the normal, average, or ancestral condition.” Divided into nine sections, the exhibit examines mammals that have unusual body features and those that exist in geographic isolation or extreme climates by featuring fossils, reconstructions, computer interactives1 and hands-on activities. The types of animals on display are both alive and extinct, but extreme in one way or another.
The exhibit even features a live colony of sugar gliders, a tiny marsupial native to Australia, which has a particularly fascinating way of trapping food. Gliders have membranes called patagium, which connect the forelimbs and hind limbs of the animal. When in flight, the glider is able to trap small insects in the membranes, which they use as a food source.
A sugar glider at rest. Image taken from here with permission.
So go check it out. I know I will. Stayed tuned for a post on all the fascinating creatures at the exhibit. All in all, I think it will likely make for an extremely good time (pun intended).
1 Why wait? Start playing right away…