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The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people with nature and science to inspire stewardship of the natural world.

It’s a Date! — Carbon Dating Fossils

Summer may be coming to an end, but we’ve still got some hot gossip here at the museum: we have a date! In fact, two dates! And for some of our favorite fossils no less: the Pacific mastodon molar tooth that captivated our community and made global news in 2023, and the 1980 Pacific mastodon skull that has become a...

The Museum at Your Side: Videos, Articles & News

Educator Workshop 2025 Keynote

September 26, 2025

Disclaimer and Content Warning The following presentation was recorded at a public program hosted by the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History....

Video

‘PLEISTOCENE POP-UP’ ICE AGE FOSSILS ON VIEW

September 17, 2025

ICE AGE FOSSILS UNEARTHED IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY On View for Two Weeks in Exclusive Exhibit: ‘Pleistocene Pop-Up’ Sept. 30–Oct. 12, 2025...

News

It’s a Date! — Carbon Dating Fossils

September 16, 2025

Summer may be coming to an end, but we’ve still got some hot gossip here at the museum: we have a date!...

Article

Nature Club

September 01, 2025

The Nature Club invites young explorers (6th–8th grade) to venture into local habitats and uncover the wonders of the living world. Guided...

News

Harlan’s Ground Sloth: An Ice Age Giant

August 25, 2025

If you lived in North America 20,000 years ago, you might have crossed paths with a Harlan’s ground sloth (Paramylodon harlani), a...

Article

A Tail of Epic Proportions: The Story of the Iconic Seabright Whale

July 08, 2025

The barnacled bodies and heart-shaped spouts of gray whales (Eschrictius robustus) are a welcome sight as they migrate through the Monterey Bay,...

Article

The Faults that Shape Santa Cruz

July 07, 2025

Faults are flat fracture surfaces within rock where portions of the rock move past each other. These features are some of the...

Article

Collections Close-Up: She Studies Seashells by the Seashore

June 20, 2025

“Even if there are no collectible shells, a walk along the tide drift will yield recognizable bits and pieces of fifteen to...

New Exhibit “Treasured Trees” Celebrates Coast Redwoods

June 05, 2025

Santa Cruz, CA — The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is proud to announce the opening of its newest exhibit, Treasured...

News

Preserving Cultural History After Fire

April 20, 2025

Many had to evacuate the Santa Cruz Mountains during the CZU Lightning Complex fires of August, 2020, including museums, visitor centers, and cultural...