Stories

Welcome to Stories, a place to explore—and be inspired by—the wonder of our natural and cultural worlds.

A paradise tanager looks directly into a camera with its green head cocked, visible red spot on its back, and stunningly bright blue breast.

Research and Collections

Hidden black and white feathers are the secret behind songbirds' dazzling colors

Colorful songbirds like tanagers use a painterly technique to make their colors pop

Read more

Vintage illustration of various feathers and specimen skins of birds

Research and Collections

How Bird Feathers Work

A brief look at the structure of feathers—and what they mean to birds

Read more

An illustration of an American lion and saber-toothed cat

Meet Biggest Big Cat at the Tar Pits: The American Lion

Get up close and personal with the fiercest Ice Age Angeleno

Read more

Salman skating on a ramp

Celebrating Muslim American Communities

Recognizing the heritage and history of the Muslim American community in L.A., past and present.

Read more

Circular frames around Dr. Susan Rogers and Dr. Yewande Pearse next to an illustration of a brain in blue, aqua, and yellow, against a blue and sea-green background

Music and the Mind

What does listening to music do to your mind and well-being?

Watch Video

Head and shoulders portrait of Lauren Schoth with a diorama in the background

New Exhibit | The Ever-Changing Flow with Lauren Schoth

Watch Lauren Schoth discuss her installation, The Ever-Changing Flow, a multimedia diorama of the ecological evolution of the Los Angeles River.

Watch Video

A life-like painting of a large lizard lurking over a nest of dinosaur eggs with one already in its mouth

Research and Collections

A Monster “Goblin” at the Feet of Dinosaurs

Meet the newly discovered giant, armored lizard named for the Hobbit’s goblin prince

Read more

An silhouette of a bird filled with naming words like 'black' 'western' etc

Research and Collections

A First Step to Bird Names as Simple as ABC

First-of-its-kind Avian Lexicon Atlas maps how bird species get their names

Read more

A close up of the skull of a polar bear skeleton

The Tale of Piccolo the Polar Bear and Captain Jack Bonavita

The story of the most famous polar bear in our collections

Read more

Pick your summer Chill or fierce Sloth versus Saber-toothed cat

Pick Your Summer! Chill or Fierce? Sloth or Saber-toothed?

Are you a saber-toothed cat person? Or do you prefer to chill with giant sloths? Plan a trip to the Tar Pits to learn all about these polar opposite Ice Age mammals.

Read more