Bumblebees are among the best pollinators of any flower-visiting insects. This is for several reasons. Firstly, they are quite large and can fly long distances between flowers, transporting pollen. Secondly, they are covered with long hairs that help the bee to gather pollen but also transfer it from flower to flower. The third reason is because of a special buzzing technique the bees have (sometimes … Continue reading Early morning bumblebees
Academic in the Department of Zoology, and one of our visitor engagement volunteers in the Museum, Dr Tony Fulford writes: Pirates, pirates! Other garden birds take refuge when a gang of starlings descends. Gangling, long-legged, short-tailed and sharp-billed they strut about at twice the speed of other birds, dominating the bird feeders and forever squabbling. There has to be more to such a gregarious, lively, … Continue reading Birds: Starlings
Join us every Tuesday as we make an alphabet from the animals in the Museum of Zoology. Today is the letters I and J: I is for iguana, ibis and ichthyosaur. J is for jerboa, jellyfish and john dory. Can you think of any others? There’s one you might be lucky enough to see outside your window. Join us next week for animals in the … Continue reading Animal Alphabet: I is for Iguana and J is for Jerboa
Scroll down for the latest images from the insect photo diary of Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology. There are some beautiful metallic beetles this week – it just goes to show that there is beauty in the little things in life, so take a closer look next time you see a small insect on a plant. You can see more of Bill’s … Continue reading An Insect A Day part 4
Right now winter may seem a distant memory, but for animals in and around Antarctica winter is just beginning. In this Nature Classroom we will be exploring some of the adaptations of animals that help them to keep warm when living in the coldest places on Earth. We have investigations about body size, a chance for you to flex your scientific muscles with an experiment … Continue reading Life in the Cold
The Museum is currently closed, but the Museum team has been beavering away preparing something special: our annual Zoology Live festival has moved online. We will be having live online activities from Monday 22 June – Saturday 27 June, with opportunities for you to chat to our experts and find out about the wildlife on your doorstep. Keep an eye on the blog and our … Continue reading Coming Soon: Zoology Live!
Give us a ROAR! Sing along with a favourite nursery rhyme with a Puggle Club twist: Old MacDonald has a zoo… These are the animals we’ve chosen from the Museum. Have we missed any of your favourites? Explore more animal sounds with What Does The Animal Say? Continue reading Old MacDonald Had A Zoo
Wednesday 27 May 2020 is World Otter Day. To celebrate, explore the otterly fabulous world of the Eurasian otter with us. Not an animal you will see from your window, but if you are very lucky you might see evidence of otters on a walk by your local river or lake. Measuring around a metre from nose to tail, the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, is … Continue reading Mammals: Otters
The close-up photographs of insects from Prof Bill Amos of the Department of Zoology have given us a wonderful view we don’t usually see of the natural world. Scroll down for the latest batch from his insect photo diary. These beasties are beautiful with fascinating stories too – from wasp mimics to mayflies to an aphid giving birth on camera. Why not have a go … Continue reading An Insect a Day part 3
Join us every Tuesday as we make an alphabet from the animals in the Museum of Zoology. Today is the letter H: H is for hedgehog, hoopoe, hippopotamus, honeycreepers, hoatzin, horse and heron. Can you think of any others? Join us next week for animals in the Museum beginning with the letters I and J, including a fabulous fossil and a mammal that jumps… Continue reading Animal Alphabet: H is for Hedgehog
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: I do love all things aquatic, so watching of the wildlife in our garden pond has been a real treat. On warm afternoons, the newts have been active and almost posing for me in the middle of the pond. And there is exciting newt news this week: baby newts! They may be small but they are beautiful, … Continue reading Pondwatch Episode 5: Newt Babies
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: ‘As our biggest and most common pigeon in the UK, here is a bird you are likely to have seen in your garden, through your window or on a walk. Even if you haven’t seen it you have probably heard it: check out its coo-cooooo-cooooo-coo-coo call on the RSPB website, open your window and have a listen. … Continue reading Birds: Pigeon Post
May 20th is World Bee Day. But why should we care about bees? Museum Research Assistant Matt Hayes explains why we should celebrate these amazing insects. Continue reading World Bee Day
We have something a little different for you for Wildlife From Your Window today: can you spot the British birds (and other animal) in these cryptic clues? This British Birds Crossword was created by Department of Zoology PhD student Tanmay Dixit, working on African cuckoos. Find out more on the African cuckoos research group website. Enjoy! You can find the answers here: Continue reading Bird Brainteaser
Join us every Tuesday as we make an alphabet from the animals in the Museum of Zoology. Today is the letter G: G is for giraffe, gibbon, goldfinch, greenfinch, grasshopper, giant ground sloth and gannet. Can you think of any others? Join us next week for animals in the Museum beginning with the letter H. Expect something prickly and some fascinating birds… Continue reading Animal Alphabet: G is for Giraffe
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