Draper Natural History Museum

Draper Natural History Museum staff and volunteers conduct long-term ecological research in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and keep up with all the wildlife and science news and issues related to this world-renowned, natural treasure. Keep up with Draper Museum fieldwork and Greater Yellowstone news and information here.

Draper Natural History Museum
February 17, 2020

Museum Minute: How Natural History Museums Came Across Their Collections, Yesterday and Today

In the past, natural history museums sent staff and researchers on expeditions to collect specimens in the field. But when the Draper…

Read More…

Peregrine Falcon in Flight
January 28, 2020

Adaptations For the Speedy Life Style of Peregrine Falcons

How Speedy is a Peregrine? Peregrine Falcons are speedy birds that are popular with bird watchers and falconers all over the world….

Read More…

Turkey Vulture landing on the ground, wings outstretched. Its excellent sense of smell may have lead it to carrion.
December 4, 2019

Exploring the Turkey Vulture’s Sense of Smell

Finding Unseen Carrion In 1979, David Houston did a study on the efficiency of Turkey Vultures finding carrion by smell. The study…

Read More…

Tall snow covered mountains in central Asia with migrating birds in the foreground.
October 15, 2019

The Basics of Bird Migration Part II-Travel Direction, Navigation, Flyways, and Dangers

Click here to read part 1 When thinking of bird migration, many people think of flocks of geese moving in their typical…

Read More…

September 30, 2019

Museum Minute: How Wounds Can Help Tell a Story

Late in the spring a couple years back, Leslie Patten went hiking and came upon something pretty spectacular. When she looked more…

Read More…

Artic Terns have the longest migration or any animal.
September 17, 2019

The Basics of Bird Migration Part I-Knowing When, Grouping, and How They Prepare

Migration can be one of the most dangerous times in a bird’s life, yet it is intended to improve their long term…

Read More…