Photos: Best Shots from the American Museum of Natural History

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The American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, NY, is not only one of the best museums in the world, it's also the beating heart for some of the world's most important conservation efforts. Don't be fooled by the polished exterior, while the museum may be the workplace of squishy city-slicker bookworm types, it's also historically been the headquarters for real outdoorsmen and conservationists. The most prominent being Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt's life has been intertwined with the museum since childhood. Growing up, he studied natural history and had his first peer-reviewed paper published at age 19. As president, he went on to create five national parks, four game preserves, 51 bird refuges, 18 national monuments, and built or expanded 150 national forests. He's credited with placing some 230 million acres under federal protection. Through it all, Roosevelt, a New York City native, used the museum as a resource for research and inspiration. To commemorate TR, the Museum of Natural History recently finished renovating the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and the Hall of North American Mammals. The projects cost $40 million and took three years to complete. The museum recruited the best taxidermists and artists to touch up the mounts and backgrounds. In some cases, they used entirely new skins on the animals. We got a sneak peek of the new digs, which are set to open October 27. Check out our best photos of the new and improved dioramas and memorial.