NAMES IN THE NEWS : Spooky Flies Into That Good Night

Spooky the Owl, the 38-year-old mascot of Boston’s Museum of Science and the oldest great horned owl in captivity, has died after a career that included 25,000 performances before delighted crowds.

Spooky, whose antics were seen by about 30 million visitors, was brought to the museum as a 3-day-old hatchling in 1951 and quickly became a major attraction. Officials said he died at the museum Wednesday.

Great horned owls normally live only 10 years in the wild. Spooky was known for sitting atop a lecturer’s shoulder and turning his head 180 degrees while keeping his body motionless.