The Under the Snow exhibit at High Desert Museum opens Dec. 17. Learn more here!

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — In the depth of winter, a deep layer of snow quiets the High Desert’s forests. But under the surface, a secret world comes to life. A new High Desert Museum exhibit dives into the snow, where voles, shrews, insects and porcupines build a matrix of tunnels to survive the winter and hide from the predators that lurk just above the surface.

Under the Snow opens at the Museum on Saturday, Dec. 17. The original exhibit explores the “subnivium” environment, what scientists call this seasonal habitat. In the subnivium, the temperature stays a toasty 32-degrees Fahrenheit, which protects plants and animals from the winter’s frigid temperatures.

A new, baby North American river otter will make its debut Wednesday at the High Desert Museum. Find out more here.

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — High Desert Museum visitors will have their first official opportunity to see the new, baby North American river otter on Wednesday, when he joins two other otters full-time in the Autzen Otter Exhibit.

The museum will celebrate the addition of the male pup, now approximately 5 1/2 months old, at 2:30 pm. Visitors will be able to view the pup, who is yet to be named, as well as the other two male otters in the museum’s care, Brook and Pitch. Naturalists will be at an Otter Fodder Interpretation Station to share interesting scientific facts about…

Check out this article by Robby Berman and the Big Think about how crows and the rest of the corvid family are more human-like than once thought! Have a happy Monday!

It’s no surprise that corvids — the “crow family” of birds that also includes ravens, jays, magpies, and nutcrackers — are smart. They use tools, recognize faces, leave gifts for people they like, and there’s…