Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy facts for kids
.jpg)
The exterior of the Grant Museum
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1828 |
|---|---|
| Location | University Street London, WC1 United Kingdom |
| Type | Natural history |
| Public transit access |  Euston Square; Warren Street Euston |
The Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy is a super cool natural history museum located in London, England. It's part of University College London. This museum was started way back in 1828 by Robert Edmond Grant. He wanted it to be a place where students could learn about animals and study their bodies.
It's one of the oldest natural history collections in the whole UK! Plus, it's the only university natural history museum left in London. You can see amazing things here, like a very rare quagga skeleton, thylacine specimens, dodo bones, and beautiful glass models of sea creatures.
Contents
A Look at the Museum's Past
The Grant Museum has a long and interesting history. It was founded by Robert Edmond Grant in 1828. He was the very first Professor of Zoology in England. Professor Grant also became the museum's first curator, which means he was in charge of the collection.
Early Curators and Growth
After Robert Grant passed away, other important scientists took care of the museum. One of them was Edwin Ray Lankester, who was a specialist in animals without backbones. He was the curator from 1875 to 1891 and added many new specimens to the museum.
Other famous scientists who helped build the collection include W. F. R. Weldon, Edward Alfred Minchin, J. P. Hill, and D. M. S. Watson. For a long time, the person who was the Professor of Zoology at UCL was also the museum's curator.
Moving to a New Home
The Grant Museum has always been used by students at UCL since it opened in 1828. It first opened its doors to the public in 1996, so everyone could enjoy its amazing collections.
In 2011, the museum moved to its current location. It's now in the Rockefeller Building, which used to be the UCL Medical School library. This new space helps the museum display its treasures even better.
What You Can See: Amazing Collections
The Grant Museum is home to about 68,000 different animal specimens! Many of these are super rare, and some have even been "rediscovered" after being forgotten for a long time.
Special Specimens and Discoveries
The museum's collection includes items from other universities and even from the London Zoo. You can also find specimens collected by famous scientists like Thomas Henry Huxley and Karl Pearson.
Some items even came from famous science trips, like the Discovery Expedition and the Challenger Expedition. These expeditions explored the world and brought back incredible findings.
Gallery
-
Display cases filled with specimens
-
The huge skeleton of a Megaloceros giganteus, also known as the Irish Elk. It was found hanging in a hotel!
-
Real Dodo bones! These were hidden away for 100 years and found again when the museum moved.
-
A rare Quagga skeleton. For a long time, no one knew it was a quagga until 1981!
-
A Rhamphorhynchus fossil. People thought it was just a fake plaster copy, but it turned out to be a real fossil!
.jpg)
