What do you call groups of different animals? In this Puggle Club story we explore some of the collective nouns for different animals, from a pride of lions to a shiver of sharks… Want to see more of the Museum of Zoology? Check out our Animal Alphabet for under 5s and go on a tour of the animal kingdom from Aardvark to Zebra: Continue reading A Paddle of Platypuses
Assistant Director Jack Ashby writes: Like many people, since March 2020 I’ve been spending a lot of time in whatever countryside I can find near my home. When the UK government specified in those initial, strict covid lockdown guidelines that we were permitted just one hour of exercise outdoors a day, something psychological was triggered in me that made me eager to make sure I … Continue reading Five minutes in nature: A daily, identical photo
Throughout this week we have been sharing some amazing winter wildlife with you, and today we have joined this all up as our 12 Days of Critters. Why not download the song sheet and sing along with your new festive favourite: Find out about the 12 critters, and scroll down to learn how to make your own origami starling murmuration to decorate your home. Winter … Continue reading 12 Days of Winter Wildlife: 12 Days of Critters
For day six of our 12 Days of Winter Wildlife we are celebrating the world of winter mammals, particularly focusing on those that might be out and about during the colder months of the year. One mammal that is doing pretty well in towns and cities as well as the countryside in the UK is the red fox. We are lucky enough to have a … Continue reading 12 Days of Winter Wildlife: Winter Mammals
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
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
Join us every Tuesday as we make an alphabet from the animals in the Museum of Zoology. Today is the letter F: F is for flamingo, fox, frog, falcon, fish, fur and feathers. Can you think of any others? Join us next week for animals in the Museum beginning with the letter G, with something very very tall… Continue reading Animal Alphabet: F is for Flamingo
For International Women’s Day 2020, Dr Kate Sainsbiry of the Department of Zoology gave a fascinating talk about her research into the conservation of British carnivores. Populations of these charismatic animals have gone up and down over the years. Here you can discover why, and what has been and is being done to protect them. Here are some things to think about from watching this … Continue reading Conserving Britain’s Carnivores
Kate Howlett, NERC-funded PhD student says, Thank you to everyone who got involved in our little experiment last week to find out who we think of as the Easter bunny. Whilst questions like this which ask about our perception of animal species are often just a bit of fun, they are also important in building up a larger picture about our relationship with the natural … Continue reading Insects are animals too: why perceptions matter
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