A ‘crash’ of rhinoceroses
Rhinos are big herbivores (plant-eaters) that have a huge impact on their habitat, by spreading around seeds and walking through, pushing and shoving the vegetation, which helps other animals in their environments. They have also had a big impact on human culture, appearing in all sorts of art for at least 700 years! There are five species of rhinos alive today, but sadly four of … Continue reading A ‘crash’ of rhinoceroses
Saving Our World: Megafauna
How can people live in harmony with nature? See the ideas and solutions from participants in an artist-led workshop that took place earlier this year, and have a go at creating your own world of tomorrow at home today. Continue reading Saving Our World: Megafauna
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Cambridge Urban Safari Trail
Go on safari in Cambridge’s urban jungle and search for animals of land and sea in the buildings. Follow the map and clues below to discover animals in the architecture of the city’s buildings. Our Urban Safari Trail can be followed on a smartphone here, downloaded to your own device, or printed at home before your expedition: Use the Cambridge Safari map and the clues … Continue reading Cambridge Urban Safari Trail
Why do butterflies change their wing pattern with the seasons?
Sridhar Halali, graduate student researcher, writes: “While wandering amid the forests of India, I had always been struck by a few butterfly species, which seemed to exhibit different wing patterns in the wet and dry seasons. This is called ‘seasonal polyphenism’, and I found out subsequently that this phenomenon is one of the adaptations to the seasons experienced in the tropics. The wet season form … Continue reading Why do butterflies change their wing pattern with the seasons?
Pollinators
It’s easy to think of ways animals need plants. We need them for food and shelter, and they provide us with oxygen to breathe. But plants need animals too, and one way they need animals in for pollination. What is pollination? How does it work? Why is it important? Find out in this week’s Nature Classroom. These activities support learning in the following areas: Identify … Continue reading Pollinators
Animal Alphabet: Aardvark to Zebra
Have you been watching our Animal Alphabet virtual tours of the Museum? Each week we have taken a different letter of the alphabet and explored the animals beginning with that letter in the Museum’s displays. We reached the end of the alphabet last week, so here is our final Animal Alphabet post. We have chosen some of our favourites to give you the whole alphabet, … Continue reading Animal Alphabet: Aardvark to Zebra
Conserving Pangolins
Charles Emogor writes: I saw my first live pangolin after almost two decades of being a pangolin enthusiast. This was a special moment especially as the purpose of the field trip in Nigeria’s Cross River National Park was to find and tag white-bellied pangolins to better understand their ranging behaviour and activity patterns. This work is part of my PhD on pangolin ecology and conservation … Continue reading Conserving Pangolins
Create a Bumblebee
Have you seen any bumblebees this summer? They often look more round and furry than other bees. They visit flowers to collect nectar and pollen, helping to pollinate plants as they go! Learn more about bumblebees from Ed Turner in the video below, or scroll down to get started on your Crafty Creature: Creating your bumblebee… You will need: Cardboard Wool or string(we’ve used yellow … Continue reading Create a Bumblebee
Animal Alphabet: X, Y and Z
We have made it to the end of our Animal Alphabet as this week we explore the animals that begin with the letters X, Y and Z: There are some pretty unusual animals this week. X is for Xenarthra and Xenopus. Y is for Yellowhammer and Yeti Crab. Z is for Zebra, Zorilla and, of course, Zoology. Can you think of any other animals beginning … Continue reading Animal Alphabet: X, Y and Z
The lesser known ecological parks of London
Ella Henry, undergraduate student, writes: A concrete jungle. The constant chorus of cars and buses. Streams of artificial light from headlights, street lamps and buildings. Flocks of people everywhere. London, along with many other cities, is probably not the first place you would associate with the word ‘biodiversity’. Nevertheless, returning to London during the lockdown period has led me to appreciate its nature-engagement spaces, which … Continue reading The lesser known ecological parks of London
Pondwatch Episode 6: Summer in the Pond
Roz Wade, Learning Officer at the Museum, writes: The garden pond has been thriving over the summer, and I have loved watching the wildlife it is supporting. Since the last episode of Pondwatch I have been pond dipping several times, and found some beautiful animals living in the water. It is wonderful to see so many baby newts, from tiny, almost transparent ones without any … Continue reading Pondwatch Episode 6: Summer in the Pond
Animal Alphabet: W is for Whale
Join us every Tuesday as we make an alphabet from the animals in the Museum of Zoology. Today is the letter W: W is for whale, wren, wombat, woodpecker, weasel, waxwing and walrus. Not all of these names sounds like they start with a W! Can you think of any other animals that start with a W? Join us next week as we complete our … Continue reading Animal Alphabet: W is for Whale
BioBlitz 2020 at the Botanic Garden
We are excited to announce that this year’s BioBlitz will be taking place in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden from 5pm on Saturday 19 September to 5pm on Sunday 20 September. During this 24 hours we will be counting as many species as we can in the garden. You can take part by visiting the garden and adding your data to the Cambridge BioBlitz 2020 … Continue reading BioBlitz 2020 at the Botanic Garden
Perfect signatures and perfect forgeries
Tanmay Dixit writes: I am studying the African cuckoo finch, which as its name suggests behaves like a cuckoo: it lays its eggs in the nests of ‘host’ birds, namely warblers. The warblers have evolved to reject eggs of the cuckoo finch, which has resulted in the cuckoo finch accurately forging the complex patterns (‘signatures’) of their hosts. How should hosts respond? I am trying … Continue reading Perfect signatures and perfect forgeries
Habitat in-a-box
Build a mini-habitat using a cardboard box and recyclable materials from around your home. The guide below will give you some ideas to get you started, but the rest is up to you! You will need: Cardboard box Old magazines, greetings cards, scrap paper. Pens or pencils Scissors Glue Once you have gathered all of your materials, watch the video below for museum learning assistant, … Continue reading Habitat in-a-box
Museum of Zoology Blog 