Canadian Museum of Nature facts for kids
| Musée canadien de la nature | |
Exterior of the Victoria Memorial Museum Building
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| Established | 1856 |
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| Location | 240 McLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
1740 Chemin Pink, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Visitors | 461,797 (FY2018–19) |
The Canadian Museum of Nature (or CMN) is Canada's national museum about the natural world. It's like a giant treasure chest filled with amazing plants, animals, rocks, and fossils! The museum's main building, called the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, is in Ottawa, Ontario. This is where you can see all the cool exhibits.
The museum also has offices and science labs in Gatineau, Quebec. The museum started way back in 1856. It was first part of the Geological Survey of Canada. Over the years, it grew and changed names. In 1990, it became its own special organization and was named the Canadian Museum of Nature.
The museum has over 14.6 million natural specimens. Many of these are on display in its permanent exhibits. The museum also creates and hosts special traveling exhibits. Scientists at the museum do important research about nature.
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started (1856–1968)
The Canadian Museum of Nature began with the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). The GSC was an organization that explored Canada's geology. In 1856, they opened a museum in Montreal to show off their discoveries. This included rocks, minerals, and ancient artifacts.
Later, in 1877, the museum's job expanded. It started to collect modern animals, plants, and learn about human history. In 1881, the museum moved to downtown Ottawa. But it soon needed more space. People asked the government to build a new, bigger building.
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Work on the new building started in 1906. It was called the Victoria Memorial Building. It opened to the public in 1912. In 1927, the museum became the National Museum of Canada. It was now separate from the GSC.
In 1956, the museum split into two main parts. One part focused on natural history. The other part focused on human history and anthropology.
The Museum Today (1968–Present)
In 1968, the National Museum of Canada officially split into several separate museums. The natural history part became the National Museum of Natural Sciences. This is the museum we know today. The human history part became the Canadian Museum of History.
In 1990, the government passed a law about museums. This law made the National Museum of Natural Sciences its own independent organization. It was also renamed the Canadian Museum of Nature. By this time, it was the only museum left in the Victoria Memorial Building.
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From 2004 to 2010, the museum's main building got a big makeover. The government spent about C$216 million to renovate and expand it. A new glass tower, called the Queens' Lantern, was added. It was opened in May 2010. Queen Elizabeth II even visited in June 2010!
Museum Buildings
The Canadian Museum of Nature has two main locations. The Victoria Memorial Museum Building in Ottawa is where you can visit the exhibits. The Natural Heritage Campus in Gatineau holds the museum's offices and scientific collections.
Victoria Memorial Museum Building
The Victoria Memorial Museum Building is in Ottawa. It's where all the museum's amazing exhibits are. The building is located in a neighborhood called Centretown. It's about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) south of Parliament Hill.
This building was the first museum building ever built in Canada just for a museum. Construction started in 1905 and finished in 1911. It was built to honor Queen Victoria. For many years, it also housed the National Gallery of Canada. In 1990, the building was named a National Historic Site of Canada. This was because of its importance to Canadian museums and its unique design.
Building Design
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The building looks like an old castle. It has a Tudor-Gothic Revival style. It was designed by David Ewart. You can see cool details like pointed arch windows and decorative buttresses. Many carvings on the building show Canadian plants and animals.
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Inside, there are carved wood, bronze railings, and mosaic floors. Stained glass windows add to its beauty. The main hall is in the center. All the museum's other areas can be reached from here.
The building used to have a tall central tower. But the ground underneath was too soft (called Leda clay). So, the original tower had to be removed. A new glass and steel tower was built in its place between 2004 and 2010. This new tower is called the Queens' Lantern. It's 20 meters (66 feet) tall. It has a special staircase to help visitors move around.
The renovations also added a new section to the south of the building. This area includes labs and a green roof. The green roof is a public space with plants. The area around the building now has green spaces and even a greenhouse.
Natural Heritage Campus
The Natural Heritage Campus is in Gatineau, Quebec. This is where the museum's offices, science labs, and collections are stored. It opened in 1997. The building is very large, covering 20,478 square meters (220,420 square feet).
The campus has special "pods" that control the environment. These pods keep the collections safe. They have over 3,000 cabinets for storing specimens. The storage rooms don't share walls with the outside. This helps protect the delicate specimens.
Museum Exhibitions
The museum has seven permanent exhibitions at its main building in Ottawa. It also hosts and creates special traveling exhibitions.
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- The Bird Gallery has over 500 bird specimens. You can see more than 450 different bird species.
- The Mammal Gallery shows mammals found in Canada. It includes cool dioramas, which are like 3D scenes.
- The Earth Gallery is all about minerals, rocks, and how the Earth changes. You can even see a moon rock here!
- The Fossil Gallery is full of fossils from dinosaurs, ancient mammals, and sea creatures. It has over 30 almost complete dinosaur skeletons. One famous Edmontosaurus skeleton has been on display since 1913.
- Nature Live is a gallery with live arachnids, insects, and other small creatures.
- The Water Gallery focuses on marine animals and water. You can see a huge blue whale skeleton here!
The newest permanent exhibit is the Canada Goose Arctic Experience. It opened in 2017. This gallery has over 200 items from the Canadian Arctic. It covers climate, ecosystems, geography, and how to protect the Arctic. There's even a special "Beyond Ice" area. It lets you experience the Arctic with your senses.
Museum Collections
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Collecting items is a very important part of the museum's work. The collections help people learn about and respect the natural world. The museum collects all sorts of things. This includes plants, animals, fish, insects, rocks, minerals, and fossils. They also have art, films, and animal sound recordings.
As of 2017, the museum has over 14.6 million specimens. This is the largest collection of natural specimens in Canada! Many of these are stored at the Natural Heritage Campus in Gatineau. About 22% of the collection can be seen online. The museum adds about 43,000 new specimens each year. These often come from fieldwork done by museum staff.
Early researchers like John Macoun and Charles Mortram Sternberg helped build the collections. The museum also has plant pressings from famous naturalists like Catharine Parr Traill. These are part of the National Herbarium of Canada, which is the museum's plant collection.
The museum has the largest collection of reptile and amphibian specimens from Canada. It also has over 100,000 Arctic plant specimens.
The museum's fossil collection is amazing. It includes the skull of an Albertosaurus. This was the first dinosaur skull ever found in Canada! They also have the original fossil sets (called holotypes) for the Daspletosaurus torosus and the Vagaceratops. In 2015, the museum received over 60 specimens of the Tiktaalik roseae. This ancient fish-like creature was found on Ellesmere Island.
Museum Research
The museum's job is also to support and do research about natural history. This is part of its official mission. The museum has two main research areas: life sciences (like animals and plants) and earth sciences (like rocks and fossils).
They also have two special centers. These are the Beaty Centre for Species Discovery and the Centre for Arctic Knowledge and Exploration. Museum scientists have been studying Arctic plants since the 1980s. They also took part in big projects like digging for dinosaur remains.
Library and Archives
The museum has a library and archives at the Natural Heritage Centre. The library has over 35,000 books about natural history. The archives have records about the museum's history. They also have a huge collection of over 275,000 photos. Plus, there's an art collection with 1,800 nature-focused artworks.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Canadiense de la Naturaleza para niños
- List of museums in Ottawa
- List of natural history museums
- Royal eponyms in Canada
