Field Museum

Community Science and Biodiversity

There are hundreds of thousands of bird specimens in Field Museum's collections. Take a look at some of the ways these specimens are prepared and stored so that scientists and researchers can access and study them! 

Museum Specimens - Birds

Scientists use many pieces of evidence to determine evolutionary relatedness between species. One of these is using species’ genomes to examine similarity and differences in the genetic code. 

Genomic Analysis

Specimen Preparation - Clearing and Staining

This artist's rendering depicts a creature that lived as early as 400 million years ago, the Trilobite. 

Prehistoric Specimens 

In this activity and the next one, you will label similarities and differences you see in these two lichen specimens using only your eyes. 

Why Genomic Analysis? Part 1

In this activity and the previous one, you will label similarities and differences you see in these two lichen specimens using only your eyes. 

Why Genomic Analysis? Part 2

In the last two activities, you attempted to identify differences in two lichen specimens using only your eyes. Was that an easy tasks? Based on your experience, hypothesize why it might be useful to utilize genomics when studying evolution. 

Using Genomic Data 

The Field Museum is home to millions of specimens from all over the world collected over the past hundred years and stored on-site in state of the art facilities.

Introduction to the Resource Kit

As you explore the modules in this kit, keep this graphic organizer open in a separate window. You can use the zoom, move, text or draw tools to take notes on what you learn about how museum collections can be and are used to study evolution and biodiversity!

Note Catcher

Herbarium sheets are a critical preservation tool that allowing scientists and plant-lovers to keep plant specimens from the field intact and ready to study for long periods of time. Learn more about what makes up an herbarium sheet looks like by exploring this image!

Specimen Preparation - Herbarium Sheets

Discover how researchers use Field Museum's millions of specimen to document and study evolution and the world's biodiversity.

Museum Collections and Research

Life Science

Science

Tully Monster Mystery

After 50 years of research and mystery, scientists finally pulled together enough evidence to solve the Tully Monster Mystery! 

Mystery Solved! 

 An invertebrate is an animal that does not have a backbone or spine, examples can include: insects, crabs, lobsters, snails, octopuses, and worms. Here are some examples of invertebrates from the Field Museum’s collections!

What is an invertebrate?

A vertebrate is an animal that does have a backbone or spine. Examples can include fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Here are some examples of invertebrates from the Field Museum’s collections!

What is a vertebrate?

In this activity, try to label recognizable parts of this creature that for decades puzzled scientists, the Tully Monster! Can you identify: The body? The eye-bar? The proboscis (long trunk)? The fins? Try your hand and use the key at the end of the slideshow in the next activity to check your answers!  

Tully Monster ID 

Here are some of the fossils in the Field Museum collections that scientists used to study the Tully Monster. Can you think about why it might be hard to reconstruct what a creature looked like from its fossils?

Tully Monster Fossils

Here are the parts of the Tully Monster in a labelled diagram. Were you able to find these parts in the last exercise? What made it difficult to identify these body parts?

Tully Monster ID Key

This creature puzzled scientists for decades! Is it a vertebrate? Is it an invertebrate? Work your way through this kit to find out!

To give students additional opportunity to explore Mazon Creek fossils, consider renting the “300 Million Years Ago in Illinois” Experience Box from the 

Today's Dinos

Use these images and reconstructions to make observations about these three animals' skin or body coverings. 

Skin / Body Cover

Fill in the Venn diagram using the information you collected during your investigation of the three animals throughout the past five activities!

Plotting Similarities and Differences

Use this chart to keep track of your observations as you explore the slideshows in this resource kit.

Document your Observations

Make note of structural similarities and differences as you explore the feet structures of the three organisms featured in this slideshow: Alligator, Deinonychus, and Penguin. 

Feet

Use these images and reconstructions to make observations about these three animals'  tails and hip structure. 

Tail and Hips

Use these images to observe and document similarities and differences in the skull structure of these three animals. 

Skulls

A phylogenetic tree is a diagram depicting the evolutionary relationships between different species. Organisms connected by vertexes appearing higher up on this phylogenetic tree are more closely related. 

Constructing a Phylogeny

These three animals all use eggs for reproduction. Document your observations about the similarities and differences between these animals' eggs. 

Eggs

Explore the similarities and differences between dinosaurs and their closest modern relatives.

 - PDF version of the activities in this resource kit. 

Read more about the relationship between Birds and Dinosaurs

alligator.png

American Alligators live throughout wetland ecosystems in the Southern  United States. They are apex predators, feeding on fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. 

American Alligator Photo

Description

Object Information

Appears In

Museum Collections and Research

Tully Monster Mystery

Today's Dinos