A returning favorite from the original Steinhart Aquarium, the Swamp is best known as the home of Claude, the startlingly white Alligator mississippiensis that's become one of the Academy's ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 1, 2025) — Submissions for the California Academy of Sciences ' 2026 BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition are now open, and will be accepted through March 1, ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 7, 2023) — Today the California Academy of Sciences and partners across the City are thrilled to announce the new Reimagining San Francisco urban nature alliance, which ...

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Learn about our charismatic African penguin colony from an Academy biologist. Daily, 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Take a high-speed tour of events—starting at the Big Bang—that set the stage for life, ...

Claude officially turns 30 on September 15, but in typical millennial fashion, he insists on being celebrated the entire month. Experience peak Claudemania at the following events (and on billboards ...

This is a recurring event. Check the daily calendar for more schedule information. Representation of the Thunderbird and Gila Monster by Melvin Bainbridge, via the One Sky Project. Planetarium shows ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 16, 2021) — In 2021, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences added 70 new plant and animal species to the tree of life, enriching our understanding of Earth’s ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 18, 2025) — Academy researchers and partners made the first discovery of both a new genus and species of plant in a U.S. national park in nearly 50 years. The ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 15, 2022) — California now has two new scorpions on its list of species, thanks to the efforts of two keen-eyed high school students from the Bay Area and the California ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (December 19, 2024) — Researchers at the California Academy of Sciences described 138 new animal, plant, and fungi species in 2024, enriching our understanding of Earth’s ...

A drawing of a Steller's sea cow, an extinct marine megaherbivore. (Biodiversity Heritage Library, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons) If you are a journalist and would like to receive Academy press ...