Stories

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

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
How Bird Feathers Work
A brief look at the structure of feathers—and what they mean to birds
Meet Biggest Big Cat at the Tar Pits: The American Lion
Get up close and personal with the fiercest Ice Age Angeleno
Celebrating Muslim American Communities
Recognizing the heritage and history of the Muslim American community in L.A., past and present.
Music and the Mind
What does listening to music do to your mind and well-being?
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.
A Monster “Goblin” at the Feet of Dinosaurs
Meet the newly discovered giant, armored lizard named for the Hobbit’s goblin prince
A First Step to Bird Names as Simple as ABC
First-of-its-kind Avian Lexicon Atlas maps how bird species get their names
The Tale of Piccolo the Polar Bear and Captain Jack Bonavita
The story of the most famous polar bear in our collections
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.