One reason why trout are considered to be a fish is because they have gills. They use these gills to breathe through in the water.

Examine geological evidence found in fossils, rock deposits, and ancient mountains that supports the theory of continental drift in this interactive activity adapted from the Exploratorium.

One reason why crabs are considered to be crustaceans is because they have a hard exoskeleton. This exoskeleton is known as the carapace.

One reason crayfish are considered to be crustaceans is because they have two sets of antennae. One pair is much smaller than the other.

This site helps students answer questions about dinosaurs: What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? Where did they live? What caused their mass extinction? Students can participate in a virtual dinosaur discovery, follow milestones in dinosaur evolution, and see behind-the-scenes slide-shows of the lab environment where vertebrate specimens are prepared for exhibits and research.

This Web site, created to complement the Museum's Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries exhibit, offers a virtual visit to the Museum, complete with text, photos, video clips, audio interviews, and more. The site takes an in-depth look at modern paleontology and today's advanced technology.

An introduction to theoretical studies of systems of many interacting components, the individual dynamics of which may be simple, but the collective dynamics of which are often nonlinear and analytically intractable. Topics vary from year to year. Format includes both pedagogical lectures and round-table reviews of current literature. Subjects of interest include: problems in natural science (e.g., geology, ecology, and biology) where quantitative theory is still in development; problems in physics, such as turbulence, that demonstrate powerful concepts such as scaling and universality; and modern computational methods for the simulation and study of such problems. Discussions in context of contemporary experimental or observational data.

Species extinction is happening at an alarming rate according to scientists. In this lesson, students are asked to consider why extinction is a problem that we should concern us. They are taught that destruction of habitat is the main reason many species are threatened. The lesson explores ways that engineers can help save endangered species.

This site examines the history of Earth. Learn about the formation of Earth, dating the age of rocks, geologic time, plate tectonics, climate change, ocean circulation, evolution, extinction, ecology, and topics related to paleobiology.

This BioBulletin Web site takes an in-depth look at how seafood lovers can "eat smart" when it comes to the environment.

This biodiversity Web site for kids, part of the museum's Kids in Our Halls program, was produced by high school interns at the Museum. In includes these sections: What Do You Think About Extinction?, an interview with kids visiting the Hall of Biodiversity; Did You Know?, a collection of fun facts that includes challenges to be solved; a five-question interactive biodiversity quiz; a Q&A interview with the head of the museum's Ichthyology Department; brief articles about the origins of chocolate and the ecological importance of coral reefs; a downloadable poster to color.

This unit covers the processes of photosynthesis, extinction, biomimicry and bioremediation. In the first lesson on photosynthesis, students learn how engineers use the natural process of photosynthesis as an exemplary model of a complex yet efficient process for converting solar energy to chemical energy or distributing water throughout a system. In the next lesson on species extinction, students learn that it is happening at an alarming rate. Students discover that the destruction of habitat is the main reason many species are threatened and how engineers are trying to stop this habitat destruction. The third lesson introduces students to the idea of biomimicry or looking to nature for engineering ideas. And, in the fourth and final lesson, students learn about a special branch of engineering called bioremediation the use of living organisms to aid in the clean up of pollutant spills.

Fossils are a glimpse into the distant past and fascinate young and old alike. This unit will introduce you to the explosion of evolution that took place during the Palaeozoic era. You will look at the many different types of creatures that existed at that time and how they managed to evolve to exist on land.

This activity illustrates the interrelationship between science and engineering in the context of extinction prevention. There are two parts to the activity. The first part challenges students to think like scientists as they generate reports on endangered species and give presentations worthy of a news channel or radio broadcast. The second part puts students in the shoes of engineers, designing ways to help the endangered species.

Notice how the birds select orange or green bugs as you alter the levels of local pollution in this interactive activity from Kinetic City.

Sea otters are herbivores and eat mainly sea urchins. Sea otters have been over-hunted in the past 100 years for their beautiful (and expensive) fur.

In this video segment from Evolution: "Extinction!", geologist Peter Ward discusses evidence for a Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

This Web site chronicles an AMNH research expedition in 1998 to Siberia's Wrangel Island to collect woolly mammoth bones and test the theory that lethal disease caused the mammal's extinction.

This video from Kentucky's Last Great Places shows how the Green River has remained unusually clean and why it is home to several endangered aquatic species.