These frogs looked fake. They didn't move at all, and their skin was smooth like freshly sculpted clay. They were in the Staff Favorites section of the new Cal Academy of Sciences.
I went twice within the last few days. Opening day was just over a week ago, and the museums, a triple dosage of Planetarium, Aquarium and Natural History Museum all under one roof, were still dealing with crowd control issues. Despite the masses of people (what were all these kids doing there on a school day? School's started, and they're not on field trips - they can't all be home schooled?), I still enjoyed myself thoroughly on both days.

During rush hours (say, 11 - 2), there are lines for the two main domes: Planetarium and Rainforest, and a line to get passes for the Planetarium (before getting in line to go in to the Planetarium), as well as the two places you can get food as well as the main bathrooms. If museums are trying to be more amusement park-like these days, to compete with video games etc, well the lines certainly make me feel like I'm at an amusement park. Huge strollers also accounted for much of the traffic.

















The evolution and climate change areas had great interactive exhibits. Above, we see a visitor using different beak shapes to try to crack seeds, fish insects out from between branches, or dig for grubs in a hole. It becomes very apparent that certain beak shapes are better adapted for certain food-acquiring situations.