Cole Museum of Zoology facts for kids
The skeleton of the circus elephant that dominates the main floor of the museum
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| Established | Early 20th century |
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| Location | Reading, Berkshire, UK |
| Type | University museum |
| Collection size | Zoology |
The Cole Museum of Zoology is a cool place to learn about animals! It's a special museum that belongs to the University of Reading. You can find it in the Health and Life Sciences building on the university's Whiteknights Campus. That's in the town of Reading, which is in England.
Discovering the Animal Kingdom
The museum has about 4,000 amazing animal specimens. A specimen is a sample or example of something, like a skeleton or a preserved animal. About 400 of these are on display at any time.
The exhibits are set up in 14 different cases. They are arranged by how animals are related to each other, which is called taxonomy. This way, you can take a tour and see the incredible variety of the animal kingdom.
What You Can See
Some of the most exciting things you can see at the museum include:
- A huge Indian elephant skeleton. This elephant used to be part of a circus!
- A super long reticulated python skeleton. It's 5 meters (about 16 feet) long and has 400 bones in its spine!
- A fossil of the biggest spider that ever lived. Imagine how big that spider must have been!
- A skeleton of a false killer whale. Even though it's called a "false killer whale," it's actually a type of dolphin.
History of the Museum
The museum's collection started a long time ago, in the early 1900s. It was put together by a professor named Francis J. Cole. He was a Professor of Zoology, which is the study of animals.
He worked with Dr Nellie B. Eales and Mr Stoneman. They collected specimens from 1907 until 1939, when Professor Cole retired. When Professor Cole passed away in 1959, the university bought all his books. These books are now a special collection in the main library.
The museum recently moved to a new, modern building called the Health and Life Sciences building. This new home helps keep the amazing collection safe for everyone to enjoy.
See also
- University of Reading
