Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Museum of Natural Sciences

Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales
Museum's building
Established	1771
Location	Madrid, Spain
Type	Natural history museum
Visitors	500,000 per year

The National Museum of Natural Sciences (in Spanish, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales) is a fantastic natural history museum located in Madrid, Spain. It's like a huge classroom where you can learn all about the natural world! This museum is part of the Ministry of Science in Spain. It is also one of Spain's important National Museums. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) helps manage it.

The Museum's Story

The museum's history began a long time ago. It started in 1771 as the Real Gabinete de Historia Natural. This means "Royal Cabinet of Natural History." It was created by King Charles III.

How the Museum Grew

In 1815, the "cabinet" became the Real Museo de Historia Natural. This means "Royal Museum of Natural History." The museum changed its name a few times. It got its current name in 1913. The first collection came from a Spanish merchant named Pedro F. Dávila.

New Museums from Old

Over time, the museum grew very large. In 1867, some parts of it became separate museums. These included an Archeology museum, a Botanic Garden, and a Zoologic Garden. This helped each area focus on its own special collections. In 1987, the museum was updated and made bigger. It used money from two smaller museums to do this.

Amazing Collections

The museum has many incredible things to see. Here are some of its most famous items:

• The first-ever skeleton of a Megatherium americanum. This giant sloth came from Argentina in 1789. It's called a holotype because it was the very first one found and studied.
• A huge Diplodocus skeleton. This dinosaur was a gift from Andrew Carnegie to King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1913.

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  African elephant hunted by Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba

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  Section of Natural History
  Diplodocus and other fossils

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  Section of Natural History
  Megatherium skeleton

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  Section of Natural History
  Stegosaurus skeleton

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  Section of Natural History
  Iberomesornis model

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  Mediterranean section
  Gorgonian

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  Mediterranean section
  Giant squid model

Scientific Research

The museum is not just for showing things. It also has scientists who do important research. They study many different areas of natural science.

Research Departments

Here are some of the main research departments at the museum:

• Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology: Scientists here study all the different kinds of life on Earth. They also look at how living things change over time.
• Evolutionary Ecology: This group studies how living things interact with their environment. They also look at how these interactions change through evolution.
• Paleobiology: These scientists study ancient life, like dinosaurs and other fossils. They learn about life forms that lived millions of years ago.
• Vulcanology: This department focuses on volcanoes. They study how volcanoes form and erupt.
• Geology: Geologists at the museum study the Earth itself. They learn about rocks, minerals, and how the Earth's surface changes.

See also

In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales para niños