Recently Asked
“It's about the side of 9pt felt tip pen dot. It didn't seem to jump. It crawled onto an iPad in our house. It didn't quite look like a dust mite or bed bug. We thought maybe a plant mite?”
Tom, Oxnard, CA - September 2, 2019
“Is this a Polyphemus Moth? I discovered this amazing moth on my front door doormat at 8:00 AM on July 30, 2019. The light above this door was on the entire night. I determined it was alive while movin...”
Anne, Santa Barbara - August 26, 2019
“Is this a praying mantis? It has been on my screen door for over a week. Is this insect normally found here in Santa Barbara?
Thanks!”
Molly, Santa Barbara - Upper East - August 13, 2019
“We have had a severe problem with chiggers in our Cleveland School area yard for decades. Only recently have they been positively identified. For years we were told chiggers were not present in SB and...”
Lauren, Upper Eastside - August 5, 2019
“Can you help me identify this caterpillar? We found it in Carpinteria.
Thanks!”
Ananda Mahto, Carpinteria - July 10, 2019
“We found this beetle in our yard tonight on our swing. We looked it up and could not find anything close to what it seems to be, that is in California. (Tile horned prionus?) Any ideas!? Our kids are...”
Cari Thomas, Santa Barbara - July 3, 2019
“My daughter found this strange rock-like thing in our yard that seems to have snail-like shell shapes in it, all stuck together. It feels like some kind of calcium rocky thing. We've attached a couple...”
Jason Freidenfelds, Santa Barbara - June 29, 2019
“I found an egg that is about five inches around and looks very old. I would like to send you a picture of it so you can give me your thoughts.
Thank you.”
Dave, Camarillo, CA - June 23, 2019
“I encountered this snake in my backyard on the Mesa. Could any of the naturalists at the SBMNH identify it, and more importantly, tell me whether or not it is venomous? We have wild rabbits in our bac...”
Anthony, Santa Barbara - June 3, 2019
“An Edhat poster sent in a photo of these egg casings. The hammock was outside and then stored for the winter, so it could be an indoor or outdoor egg-laying insect. Please i.d.
Thank you ever so muc...”
Lisa Ann Kelly, Santa Barbara, CA - May 19, 2019
“Hello, recently my son and I were at Santa Claus Ln. beach and digging in the sand. We found this rock and were wondering if it could possibly be a meteorite? Magnets stick to it and a compass is affe...”
Roger Williams, Santa Barbara - April 11, 2019
“Can you explain why these plants grow in a donut shape or circle?”
Bob McMahan, Ojai - March 22, 2019
“Hi,
We have these beautiful mushrooms growing beneath a bush in our yard. Can you tell me what they are? An ID forum I belong to thinks they're Chlorophyllum rhacodes, a type of Shaggy Parasol. The i...”
Daryl Metzger, Santa Barbara, CA - March 21, 2019
“I have a nest that blew out of a tree in the recent storms. I’m pretty sure it is a squirrel’s nest Online I read that it is possible to get certain diseases from squirrels. Does this apply to the...”
Susan Hopkins, Goleta - February 4, 2019
“Our kitchen window in the Shadow Hills development at the top end of Via Chaparral looks across about 325 yards to the opposite side of San Antonio Canyon in the vicinity of the dam. On a number of o...”
Doug Caldow, Santa Barbara - January 31, 2019
“Just saw four of these birds high in a tree in Alice Keck Park’s park for the first time. Really loud squawking. Very small short pink wattle hanging down neck but no pink on head so I ruled out turke...”
Jane, Santa Barbara Alice Keck Park - January 22, 2019
“I found this dark heavy bone while walking on the beach after the storm on Friday night. What is it? Could it be part of a sea lion? Why is it black and super heavy? ”
Benjamin Van Heusden, Santa Barbara - January 14, 2019
“I came across a bone while I was walking on the beach. Do you know what animal it came from and what part it is? Thanks!”
Dawn, Goleta (bone found at Haskells, going west) - December 7, 2018
“Do you have anything in your museum that pertains to the legend of a 19th-century Native American woman who lived alone for 18 years on remote San Nicolas Island, off the coast of California? The book...”
Stephanie, San Antonio, Texas - November 24, 2018
“We have a wildlife camera in our yard on the Riviera and captured these two critters the night of 7/21. (See the face of #2 at the lower left edge of the photo.) Not enough tail for bobcat, not enough...”
Leslie, Santa Barbara's Riviera - July 22, 2018