Natural History Museum

An exciting day as we open our two new gardens at the Museum! 😍 🍃 Our Evolution Garden, where each step moves you forward 5 million years. 🍃 Our Nature Discovery Garden, supported by The Cadogan Charity, where you can rest, relax and get closer to nature. From our giant, 22-metre-long Diplodocus to thriving pond life, there’s so much to see and we can't wait to welcome you! 😊 We want to thank everyone who made this project possible, including all our funders and supporters, the young people, community partners and those with diverse lived experience and the team at the Museum, as well as designers, consultants and construction specialists!

Curious about the world of legless reptiles? 🐍 Join Museum expert Dr Ian Brennan as he takes you on an incredible journey from the Barbados threadsnake to the reticulated python and everything in between. Dive deep into the biology, biogeography, and behaviour of snakes with our Naturally Curious Snakes course, which sheds (no pun intended) light on these amazing yet often misunderstood creatures. Even better, to celebrate World Snake Day, we're offering a ssssspecial 20% discount with the code SNAKES20 - valid until Monday 23 July at 11:59pm 🌟 Our Naturally Curious courses offer flexible learning from world-leading experts and behind-the-scenes access to treasures from our collections that have never been on display. Whether you're a budding herpetologist, a nature enthusiast, or just curious about snakes, this comprehensive and engaging course is perfect for you! Still not sssold? Try out the introduction of Naturally Curious Snakes for free here: https://brnw.ch/21wLk3Q 🌿 What other fascinating topics would you like to see our Museum experts cover in a Naturally Curious course? #WorldSnakeDay #Snakes #NaturalHistory #MuseumLearning #Herpetology #SnakeCourse #NaturallyCurious Please note: Naturally Curious courses are only available to UK residents at this moment in time.

We're thrilled to announce that Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE has succeeded Sir Patrick Vallance as non-executive Chairman of our Board of Trustees! Lord Hall was originally appointed to the Board in November last year and will take over as Chair with immediate effect. He said: “The Natural History Museum is one of the great museums of the world. I love the fact that it’s always full of young children excited and inspired by what they see. But at the same time, it is the home of great and globally important scientific research. I’m excited and honoured to be asked to serve as Chair.” Lord Hall brings a wealth of experience to the role, having served as Chairman of the National Gallery, Director General of the BBC, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, President of the European Broadcast Union and Chair of the Cultural Olympiad Board. He was awarded a CBE in 2006 and was made a life peer in 2010. Sir Patrick Vallance stepped down as Chair following his appointment as Minister for Science by the Prime Minister on 5 July 2024. Our Director Dr Doug Gurr said: “I would like to thank Sir Patrick for his support and guidance since joining our Board of Trustees in October 2022 and we congratulate him on this prestigious and well-deserved appointment. We are so proud to be associated with a leader of his stature and scientific credentials and look forward to continuing our relationship with him in the future.”

The Museum is one of the most iconic buildings in London, and it would be totally unrecognisable without the unique and innovative designs of Alfred Waterhouse. 🎨 Using a mixture of Gothic revival and 12th century Romanesque architecture, Waterhouse used terracotta, both decoratively and as construction material, to create the cathedral to nature we all know and love today. Over 140 years later, the building and its décor still hold strong – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t in need of some careful conservation! We’re embarking on an ambitious project to conservate the Waterhouse building façade. It’s the first time the façade has received a full renovation – and at over 200 metres in length and 60 metres in height at its highest, it’s no small feat! The current project will be rolled out over 14 months, until the end of March 2025. Its unveiling will mean that the Museum looks its best behind our brand-new gardens, opening this summer. 🍃 Did you know that the last time a full cleaning of the terracotta was completed was almost 50 years ago?

Our new gardens are packed full of geology, plants, statues and beautiful inlays that bring to life more than 2.7 billion years of Earth’s history. 😮 With one week to go until our new Gardens open, something exciting has been installed amongst the ferns! 👇

Have you seen these fascinating fleas before? In the 1800s, one of the more bizarre popular keepsakes were dressed fleas. Scraps of cloth and paper make up the clothes and most likely the rest of the figure, whilst the head is a flea glued on top. No one knows for certain where this phenomenon began, but it is suspected it may have originated in convents as nuns were known for making miniatures of all sorts. At less than half a centimetre tall, the attention to detail is amazing! These fascinating fleas made their way to the Museum as part of Sir Walter Rothschild’s collection. Have you seen these fleas at our site in Tring?

⚠️ Warning: this content contains images of plastic contamination in birds that some may find distressing. Please proceed with care. ⚠️ On a small island just off the east coast of Australia live the most plastic contaminated birds in the world. 90% of flesh-footed shearwater chicks have some plastic in their stomachs, accidentally fed to them by their parents. The high level of plastic pollution surrounding Lord Howe Island, just 600km from the Australian coastline, means that a diet that should be fish and squid is accidentally supplemented with many small pieces of plastic. For adult birds, this can cause plasticosis, a disease causing internal scarring and tissue damage. But for young birds, the outcome can be much worse - if undigestible plastic fills up too much of their small stomach space, they can die from lack of nutrition. 🌏 So what can we do? 🌏 We’re a long way from the Australian coast - but all of our birds (and other wildlife) are affected by plastic. This week is #CleanBeachesWeek, which falls at the start of #PlasticFreeJuly - it’s a great time to find ways to reduce your plastic use, join a big beach clean or even do your own! There’s so much more we can do to help birds survive and thrive alongside us. You can learn more about plasticosis and ways to help in our Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre exhibition. Book your tickets today: https://brnw.ch/21wL7uS

Have you heard the story of Guy the gorilla? In 1947, a baby gorilla was exchanged at @LondonZoo for a zebra and a tiger. Weighing only 10kg and clutching a tin hot water bottle, the gorilla came to be known as ‘Guy’ as he arrived on Guy Fawkes Day.  Gentle Guy became one of the most loved animals at the zoo, known for his calm nature. When sparrows entered his enclosure, he'd carefully scoop them up and stare at them before letting them fly away.   Sadly, this great gorilla died of a heart attack in 1978 during a tooth operation. The British public had become so attached to him, there was outrage when the news revealed he was to be stuffed and put on display!   After years hidden from public view, Guy made a comeback in 2012 on the #HintzeHall balconies, allowing his iconic legacy to live on. Although this display has divided opinions, many choose Guy as their favourite museum specimen! 

At the turn of the 20th Century, there wasn’t much by way of open LGBTQ+ representation in palaeontology - except for Franz Nopcsa. Baron Franz Nopcsa of Transylvania was the first to study the biology of dinosaurs and is often referred to as the father of modern palaeobiology. He was the first to discover dwarf dinosaurs such as Magyasaurus – a much more petite relative of Diplodocus! 🦕 When he wasn’t pushing the boundaries of palaeontology, he was living the life of a rock star. He acted as a spy during World War One and embarked on a motorcycle journey across Europe with his secretary and lover, Bajazid Doda. Learn more about the fascinating and complicated life and achievements of Franz Nopcsa below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eqViJPR8