Bewitch me, mammal week

From the Italic Hare to the Moon Bear, Mammals Interpreting Change, is the title of the event to be held at the Royal Mineralogical Museum on Nov. 12, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. as part of M'ammalia, Mammal Week, an initiative to promote knowledge and conservation of mammals, coordinated by the Italian Teriological Association in collaboration with the National Association of Science Museums.

The theme of this edition is Ecosystems in the Balance: mammals tell the tale of change, emphasizing how anthropogenic pressures on the environment cause imbalances in ecosystems by forcing species to face urgent and unprecedented challenges. Biodiversity is disappearing, threatened by climate change, deforestation and pollution. Once again this year, the Athenaeum Museum Center is participating in the initiative by offering the audience a broad overview of the alteration of ecosystems and the adaptive response of animals, then focusing on two iconic species that well reflect the changing environment, the native Italian Hare and the Asian Moon Bear.

The free event, with an educational/dissemination purpose, is mainly aimed at citizens, schools and university students. It is therefore intended to invite a diverse audience to reflect on the key role of mammals as indicators of change and current and future management and conservation scenarios. The goal is to disseminate knowledge about mammals to provide everyone with the basis for implementing effective coexistence and conservation strategies. The event is sponsored by Federico II Natural Sciences, ATIt (Italian Teriological Association), ARDEA onlus Association and Zoological Guards (Noetaa Group Naples I).

The day will be opened by greetings from Piergiulio Cappelletti, Director of the Center for Museums of Natural and Physical Sciences and Olga Mangoni, STeNA and Natural Sciences Federico II Course Coordinator.