Natural History

Our natural history collection of around 180,000 specimens covers most aspects of the natural world.

Natural History Overview

Our natural history collection of around 180,000 specimens covers most aspects of the natural world.

This important collection highlights the dangers of the illegal trade in endangered species.

We have a modest collection of mainly British rocks and minerals from around the world.

There are about 1,200 specimens in the taxidermy collection and a few more in the skeletal collection, mainly British bird species.

This collection comprises around 22,000 specimens, mostly marine shells from the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions.

There are around 52,000 specimens of butterflies and moths in the Lepidoptera collection and they represent about 3,000 different species.