Dr Olivia Plateau, Department of Earth Sciences, writes: Birds, the only surviving branch of the theropod dinosaurs, are one of the most species-rich extant vertebrate groups with more than 11,000 species. They show great diversity in terms of size, colour, shape and ecology, occupying almost all habitats on the surface of the Earth. I am an evolutionary biologist, and I am particularly interested in the … Continue reading Bird Palates and Feeding
If you’ve visited the Museum of Zoology, you will have been greeted by the largest specimen in our collection, the magnificent skeleton of a Fin Whale. In this Nature Classroom we will be going on a journey into the oceans to explore the amazing world of whales, and see what their skeletons can tell us about the way they live and have evolved. These activities … Continue reading Whales!
Have you taking part in our Nature Classroom this term? A few weeks ago we looked in detail at feeding adaptations in mammals, from enormous lion canines to the grinding teeth of herbivores. Check out the animals and activities in our Jaws post here. This week’s nature classroom is an extension of this. Join Learning Offer Roz Wade as she shows you one of her … Continue reading Exploring Skulls: Badger
A few weeks ago in Nature Classroom we explored feeding adaptations in mammals (you can find it here). There we saw how mammal teeth are adapted to the food they eat. But what about birds? Birds don’t have any teeth, but we can see adaptations to their diets in the shape of the beak. In this Nature Classroom we will be exploring evolution and adaptation … Continue reading Bird Beaks and Evolution
Museum of Zoology Blog 