natural history

Rare Santa Cruz Brittle Star Fossils Shine New Light on Local Paleontology

This rare and extinct Amphiura sanctaecrucis was discovered in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Credit: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Ancient “serpent star” fossils, Amphiura sanctaecrucis, not seen in the area since the early 1900s have been unearthed in the Santa Cruz Mountains and donated to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Fossil Sloth Bone Found in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the First of Its Kind Report in This County

Ice Age Sloth Skeletal Art, Credit: Mason Schratter. Courtesy of Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Local students find Jefferson’s ground sloth fossil in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the first fossil evidence for this species reported in county history.

Fossil-Hunting Fun in Santa Cruz

Wayne Thompson, paleontologist advisor for the Museum. Credit: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Traces and remains of ancient creatures—from whale-ribs to a famous mastodon tooth—frequently surface on Santa Cruz beaches and in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Natural History & Community Building in Santa Cruz

Undergrad Nefret Allen-Cantu and their “Pollinators and People” poster table. Photo by Bridget Lyons.

At the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History’s symposium in the UCSC Hay Barn, our writer made some friends and discovered some fun facts.

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