Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum

Located on BYU Campus, Admission is free! Check out mlbean.byu.edu

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Did you know naked mole rats are not related to moles or rats? Their closest relative happens to be the porcupine and guinea pig. These animals are hard workers and can tunnel an underground territory that is as large as six football fields! #beanmuseum #nakedmolerat

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This summer, we had the opportunity to start out our new summer program, Biology Boot Camp! It was a major success! If you would like to read about what the campers got to do, head to our blogpost to learn more! http://www.beanmuseum.org/2018/07/biology-boot-camp.html #beanmuseum #biologybootcamp #summercamps

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Contrary to what Hollywood would like you to think, sharks are amazing and beautiful creatures that are essential to the health of our ocean ecosystems! They are often called the garbage disposals of the ocean, because they can sense sick or dying fish that might be around. Without them, our oceans would be filled with more diseases! It is very rare for sharks to attack humans. In fact, humans tend to be more dangerous to sharks! It is estimated that humans kill 100 million sharks annually. One way you can help out sharks is to not purchase any type of shark fin soup! #sharks #beanmuseum

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Did you know sea stars have two stomachs? One of these stomaches has adapted to come outside of its body through the mouth to consume large prey that cannot fit into their mouth. This sack-like stomach envelopes the prey to digest it before withdrawing back into the body. How cool is that?! #beanmuseum #seastar #animalkingdom #adaptations

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Say hello to Reggie!! We adopted Reggie 2 years ago in June. Reggie was very small when we first got her, but now she is almost reaching 4 feet! We couldn't be happier to have her as an animal ambassador!! She is an incredibly curious little snake! Her hobbies include hiding in sidewalk cracks, bathing in her water tub, and tying herself into knots. Come to one of our live animal shows or schedule your own to hang out with Reggie!! #beanmuseum #cornsnake #reggie #snakesofinstagram

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Stinging Nettle! A plant many have heard about, but don't know what it looks like or what it does to you if you brush up against it. This plant is common in North America, Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. The stinging nettle has needle-like tubes that pierce the skin and inject a mix of formic acid, histamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine. This causes a severely itchy, burning rash that can last for a few days. Not fun!! However, despite its defense mechanism, stinging nettle has long since been used for its medicinal properties, vitamin-rich food value, and its use in textiles and cosmetics. What a cool plant! #beanmuseum #stingingnettle #powerofplants

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Curious about how more of our summer camps have been going? Head to beanmuseum.org to read the blogposts about the BYU Museum Camp and Critter Camp- Air Edition! #beanmuseum #crittercamp #animallove

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Did you know we offer free, private, in-house live animal shows here at the museum?? You can get your family and friends together, and look for a time that works best for you! Head to our website to schedule one! Please note that requests must be made at least one week in advance. #beanmuseum #freeisalwaysgood #animalshow

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That's a wrap on our first week of Junior Naturalist camp and Critter Camp- Water Edition! If you would like to know more about the fun adventures we had with these kids, check out beanmuseum.org to read our blogposts! #beanmuseum #museumcamps #summerfun

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Our very first Critter Camp was a major success. The participants had so much fun learning about the many different kinds of land animals we have here on our beautiful Earth! Curious about what they did? Head on over to our blog to read about the fun activities and field trip they were able to participate in! http://www.beanmuseum.org/ While our Critter Camps and Biology Boot Camps are sold out, we still have open spots for the Junior Naturalist and BYU Museum Camps that are coming up. Head to our website for more information! #museumcamps #summer2018 #beanmuseum

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Wow! What a close poll outcome! In regards to what whale species is documented to live longer, 47% said it was the bowhead whale and 53% said it was the blue whale! Drumroll please............... The correct answer is the bowhead whale!!!! While a blue whale has been documented to live to 110 years old, the discovery of 19th century stone harpoon points in the skull of a bowhead whale have shown that they can live to be over 200 years old!! This is one of the longest living mammals ever recorded! How amazing is that? Thanks for playing everyone! #bowheadwhale #beanmuseum #animalsaretoocool

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Head over to our Facebook page to vote on which whale species lives longer. Is it the bowhead whale or the blue whale? Pictured here is the humpback whale which can live to be 80 years! Both the bowhead and blue whale live longer than the humpback. Which one do you think might be older? #whales #beanmuseum

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As we head into summer, you may come across frogs out in nature! Frogs have thin skin that helps them breathe and absorb water and nutrients. Help out frogs by not touching them or picking them up if you see them. Not only can it really scare frogs, but the oils from our hands are absorbed into their body and can make them very sick! If you enjoy them from a distance, you can keep yourself and the frogs safe. Have fun finding these remarkable amphibians! #beanmuseum #frogs

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Did you know it's National Bike Month?? Biking is a great way to exercise and reduce air pollution when it's used as a mode of transportation! Utah has many beautiful trails that you can bike on! Comment below which trails in Utah are your favorite to bike on! We love the Provo River Trail! #beanmuseum #biking

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Tomorrow as we celebrate the many human mothers in our lives, we also wish to acknowledge the many other amazing animal moms out there! The harp seal is one tough mother! As their pups nurse for about 12 days on 48% fat seal milk, the mother does not eat. The pup will gain about 5 pounds each day, while the mom loses about 7 pounds each day! Talk about commitment!! We wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! #harpseal #mothersday #beanmuseum

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Animal adaptations are incredible! So much so, that we often use animal adaptations to improve our own technology. Kim, a regal jumping spider similar to this one, is trained to jump from target to target at the University of Manchester, in order for researchers to observe how she is able to jump 8 times her body length. They will then apply the techniques to microbots to better enhance their capabilities! https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/spiders-jumping-engineering-mechanics-animals-spd/ #adaptations #jumpingspider

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Did you know that a group of crows is called a "murder"? No? Well Now that you've wisened up take a moment and have a good laugh at this picture, then ponder on what makes crows so terrifying that they named a group of them after a crime against nature... food for thought. #terrifyingtuesday #beanmuseum #crows #byu #dudethatbecreepy #thebirds