Latest news with #MuseumOfNaturalHistory
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Moths the size of human hands successfully mate inside Mexico museum
A pair of large moths, which are the size of a human hand, were recently observed mating just hours after hatching at the Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture in Mexico City. Known locally as "four mirrors" moths, or scientifically as Rothschildia orizaba, their successful mating is a testament to the museum's conservation efforts. Their wings are adorned with a mosaic of brown and pink around four translucent sections and are a sight to behold. María Eugenia Díaz Batres, who has dedicated nearly six decades to caring for insects at the museum, expressed her delight at witnessing the event. "When I get here and find this, I jump with delight," she said. The museum rescued 2,600 cocoons from an empty lot, and the moths' emergence and mating indicate the project's success. These moths, whose population has declined in Mexico City due to increasing urbanisation, hold cultural significance in the region, making their preservation all the more critical. Díaz Batres said: 'The Aztecs called them the ' butterfly of obsidian knives,' Itzpapalotl. And in northern Mexico they'd fill many of these cocoons with little stones and put them on their ankles for dances.' These cocoons arrived at the museum in late December. 'They gave them to us in a bag and in a box, all squeezed together with branches and leaves, so my first mission was to take them out, clean them,' Díaz Batres said. Mercedes Jiménez, director of the museum in the capital's Chapultepec park, said that's when the real adventure began, since they had never received anything like this before. Díaz Batres had the cocoons hung in any place she thought they might do well, including her office where they hang from lines crisscrossing above her table. It has allowed her to watch each stage of their development closely. The moths only survive for a week or two as adults, but they give Díaz Batres tremendous satisfaction, especially when she arrives at her office and new moths 'are at the door, on the computer." So she tries to help them 'complete their mission' and little by little their species recovers.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Rescued giant moths emerge from cocoons in Mexico's sprawling capital
MEXICO CITY — Two moths the size of a hand, their wings patterned with brown and pink around four translucent sections, mate for hours hanging from a line alongside cocoons like the ones they emerged from just hours earlier. 'When I get here and find this, I jump with delight,' said María Eugenia Díaz Batres, who has been caring for insects at the Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture in Mexico City for nearly six decades.
Arab News
6 days ago
- General
- Arab News
Rescued giant moths emerge from cocoons in Mexico's sprawling capital
MEXICO CITY: Two moths the size of a hand, their wings patterned with brown and pink around four translucent sections, mate for hours hanging from a line alongside cocoons like the ones they emerged from just hours earlier. 'When I get here and find this, I jump with delight,' said María Eugenia Díaz Batres, who has been caring for insects at the Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture in Mexico City for nearly six decades. The mating pair of 'four mirrors' moths as they're popularly known in Mexico, or scientifically as Rothschildia orizaba, are evidence that the museum's efforts to save some 2,600 cocoons rescued from an empty lot were worth the trouble. The moths, whose numbers have fallen in Mexico City due to urbanization, have cultural relevance in Mexico. 'The Aztecs called them the 'butterfly of obsidian knives,' Itzpapalotl,' Díaz Batres said. 'And in northern Mexico they'd fill many of these cocoons with little stones and put them on their ankles for dances.' These cocoons arrived at the museum in late December. 'They gave them to us in a bag and in a box, all squeezed together with branches and leaves, so my first mission was to take them out, clean them,' Díaz Batres said. Mercedes Jiménez, director of the museum in the capital's Chapultepec park, said that's when the real adventure began since they had never received anything like this before. Díaz Batres had the cocoons hung in any place she thought they might do well, including her office where they hang from lines crisscrossing above her table. It has allowed her to watch each stage of their development closely. The moths only survive for a week or two as adults, but they give Díaz Batres tremendous satisfaction, especially when she arrives at her office and new moths 'are at the door, on the computer.' So she tries to help them 'complete their mission' and little by little their species recovers.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Rescued giant moths emerge from cocoons in Mexico's sprawling capital
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two moths the size of a hand, their wings patterned with brown and pink around four translucent sections, mate for hours hanging from a line alongside cocoons like the ones they emerged from just hours earlier. 'When I get here and find this, I jump with delight,' said María Eugenia Díaz Batres, who has been caring for insects at the Museum of Natural History and Environmental Culture in Mexico City for nearly six decades. The mating pair of 'four mirrors' moths as they're popularly known in Mexico, or scientifically as Rothschildia orizaba, are evidence that the museum's efforts to save some 2,600 cocoons rescued from an empty lot were worth the trouble. The moths, whose numbers have fallen in Mexico City due to urbanization, have cultural relevance in Mexico. 'The Aztecs called them the 'butterfly of obsidian knives,' Itzpapalotl,' Díaz Batres said. 'And in northern Mexico they'd fill many of these cocoons with little stones and put them on their ankles for dances.' These cocoons arrived at the museum in late December. 'They gave them to us in a bag and in a box, all squeezed together with branches and leaves, so my first mission was to take them out, clean them,' Díaz Batres said. Mercedes Jiménez, director of the museum in the capital's Chapultepec park, said that's when the real adventure began since they had never received anything like this before. Díaz Batres had the cocoons hung in any place she thought they might do well, including her office where they hang from lines crisscrossing above her table. It has allowed her to watch each stage of their development closely. The moths only survive for a week or two as adults, but they give Díaz Batres tremendous satisfaction, especially when she arrives at her office and new moths 'are at the door, on the computer.' So she tries to help them 'complete their mission' and little by little their species recovers.
New York Times
24-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
2 Novels of America at Particular, Peculiar Moments
Dear readers, Long before I realized some of Teddy Roosevelt's exploits ought to make me squirm, I spent many deliriously happy hours at the Museum of Natural History. Those dioramas! Those tableaux morts! Right after 'namer of crayon hues,' the job of positioning dead animals just so seemed like one of the most glamorous vocations out there, an opportunity to freeze Mother Nature herself and examine every last bit of what she was up to. The novels I write about here remind me of my favorite displays. Both capture extremely precise moments in American history: Miami on the eve of the Bay of Pigs, a California peopled by aging hippies in 1984 who dread Reaganite belt-tightening. Best of all, no animal remains were harmed. —Joumana
