Cambridge University Museum of Zoology facts for kids
Giant Finback whale at the Museum of Zoology
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| Location | Museum of Zoology, Downing Street, Cambridge. CB2 3EJ |
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| Type | University Museum |
| Accreditation | Arts Council England accredited |
| Collections | Fossils, Vertebrates, Birds, Insects, Molluscs, Invertebrates |
| Visitors | 103,604 (2022) |
| Owner | University of Cambridge |
| University of Cambridge Museums | |
The University Museum of Zoology is a fantastic museum that belongs to the University of Cambridge. It's also part of the university's Department of Zoology, where scientists study animals. You can visit the museum for free, and everyone is welcome!
The museum is located in the David Attenborough Building in central Cambridge, England. This building also helps the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, which works to protect different kinds of animals and plants.
Inside the museum, you'll find a huge collection of important animal specimens. In 1998, these collections were recognized as being super important for history and for science around the world.
The museum had a big makeover and reopened on June 23, 2018. It received a grant of £1.8 million to make these improvements. The goal was to create a "green" building and to show off the amazing variety of animals. They also wanted to store the collections safely and offer more learning programs for visitors.
The University Museum of Zoology is one of eight museums that are part of the University of Cambridge Museums group.
History of the Museum
Many of the museum's items come from big collecting trips in the 1800s. These trips helped scientists learn about animals in many parts of the world for the first time. The very first items were from a collection bought in 1814.
Over time, the museum added more collections. These included birds from William John Swainson and animals from the Cambridge Philosophical Society. Even famous naturalist Charles Darwin gave items to this society.
The museum moved into its current building between 1968 and 1970. Today, the collections are kept in five separate storage areas. Some small updates were made to the museum in 2017.
What You Can See: The Collections
Many of the museum's collections were put together in the 1800s. This was a very important time for the growth of modern biology. A lot of the items were gathered between 1865 and 1915. They came from private collections and scientific expeditions.
Cambridge was a key place for new ideas in biology. Many people connected to the museum were important figures in big scientific discussions of their time.
The museum displays collections and letters from many different collectors. Some of these include:
- Charles Darwin, a famous Naturalist
- Alfred Russel Wallace, who also helped develop the idea of natural selection
- William John Swainson, an ornithologist (bird expert)
- Alfred Newton, another zoologist and bird expert
- George Robert Crotch, an entomologist (insect expert)
- Reverend Leonard Jenyns, who was first chosen to be the naturalist on the voyage of HMS Beagle
Before the museum's big makeover, a huge 21.3-meter (70-foot) finback whale skeleton was on display. People often called it Bobby. It was taken apart and stored during the renovation. Now, this giant skeleton is back in the new entrance hall. It was carefully cleaned before being put back together.
The museum also has skeletons and preserved skins of many animals that are now extinct. Most of the fish specimens are kept in a special liquid. Some of these fish were even collected by Darwin himself during his voyage on HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836.
The bird collection includes skins, eggs, and bones. You can see bones from extinct birds like the dodo from Mauritius and the Rodrigues solitaire from Rodrigues. The insect collection has specimens that Darwin collected from around Cambridge. There are also collections of molluscs, corals, and other sea creatures. These show the amazing variety of life in the oceans.
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Left to right: Bornean orangutan, female and male western gorilla, chimpanzee, human
See also
- Natural history museums
