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All the United Kingdom England London Grant Museum of Zoology
AO Edited

Grant Museum of Zoology

The only university zoological museum in London houses extinct animals, bizarre natural history specimens, and a Micrarium of microscopic creatures.

London, England

Added By
Allison Meier
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A Nicobar Tree Shrew in the Grant Museum of Zoology   Tom Mooring/Flickr
A Nicobar Tree Shrew in the Grant Museum of Zoology   Tom Mooring/Flickr
Grant Museum of Zoology   Wikimedia
Porcupine Fish in the Grant Museum of Zoology   Neil Turner/Flickr
The Micrarium at the Grant Museum of Zoology   Grant Museum of Zoology
Honey possumn , a tiny Australian marsupial   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Some slides of the micrarium   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Python head with dissected tarsier primate in background   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Fruitbat   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Koala foetus   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
The head of a Javan pangolin   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
Extinct thylacine skeleton and preserved skin   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Micrarium   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Chimpanzee   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Elephant   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  wurzeltod / Atlas Obscura User
  wurzeltod / Atlas Obscura User
  wurzeltod / Atlas Obscura User
  wurzeltod / Atlas Obscura User
  User submitted
  User submitted
Preserved monkey faced fruitbat (real name)   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
  User submitted
Wallaby head   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Slides in the micrarium   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
Kangaroo foetus   Monsieur Mictlan / Atlas Obscura User
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About

With over 67,000 specimens, the Grant Museum of Zoology is the last of the university zoological museums in all of London.

Along with its examples of extinct animals, like the bones of a Dodo and the bones and skins of a Quagga and Tasmanian Tiger, the museum houses numerous jarred specimens and skeletons. Here you may see jars crammed full of moles or bats, bisected chimpanzee and sea lion heads, kangaroo and manatee fetuses, pickled tree shrews, lion skeletons, and Tapir skulls.   

There are specimens from Robert Grant himself, along with Thomas Henry Huxley, bisected heads from the collection of Sir Victor Negus, and glass models made in the 1800s by the Blaschka family.

In 2013, the Grant Museum opened the Micrarium in a formerly unused office space. It's a backlit cavern of microscopic and lantern slides celebrating the tiniest creatures in the world.

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Anatomy Museums Wax Anatomy Two Headed Animals Taxidermy Natural History Museums Museums Natural History Dodos Extinct Animals Animals Blaschka Models

Know Before You Go

Fancy helping out this unique museum? The skeleton and specimen collection kept by the museum requires annual maintenance which all cost money. A unique way of helping the museum in its upkeep of these grizzly treasures is to adopt a specimen. For a small price, you can adopt anything from a Cassowary heart to a pickled flying fox, receiving an adoption certificate and a plaque with your name on it beside the specimen. You can visit the museum by booking free tickets online from the website. 

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

Annetta Black, Monsieur Mictlan, ylva, Snowdrop68...

  • Annetta Black
  • Monsieur Mictlan
  • ylva
  • Snowdrop68
  • standeruijteruk
  • wurzeltod
  • SEANETTA
  • Steve 55

Published

February 22, 2013

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  • http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums/zoology/visit
Grant Museum of Zoology
University College London
Gower Street
London, England, WC1E
United Kingdom
51.522483, -0.132641
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