We checked out a preview of the Extreme Mammals Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History and were astounded by the diversity of mammals on our earth.
I had the opportunity to chat with paleontologist William Harcourt-Smith about what makes an animal a mammal (we have surprisingly little in common), what makes a mammal an extreme mammal, how parents can help kids get excited about learning at home, why animals diversify, and his favorite parts of the exhibit. You can watch question by question or see the whole interview.
Below, check out Harcourt-Smith’s ideas about using the Extreme Mammals website to continue learning about animals with your kids.
We had an amazing time–crawling through the legs Indricotherium, the largest land mammal (shown here with one of our smaller mammals, my daughter); found out about the longest gestational period (660 days for the African Elephant–Eep!); touched porcupine quills; discovered sleeping sugar gliders; and made kangaroos hop and gazelles leap.
Check out the full interview with Harcourt-Smith, see the rest of my videos and my photos from the exhibit, and go check out Extreme Mammals for yourself!
