Monday 4th October 2021 is World Habitat Day. To celebrate habitats from around the world, here we look at some of the animals that live in different ecosystems from the African plains to the deep ocean floor, written by staff, students and volunteers at the Museum of Zoology. World Habitat Day was set up by the UN to reflect on urban habitats, with this year’s … Continue reading World Habitats Day 2021
This year we are taking our Winter Wildlife event online. Join us for the live launch on our YouTube channel at 4.30pm on Tuesday 1 December or catch up here: Get your questions ready for a LIVE Q&A with Rob Jaques from the British Trust for Ornithology, who’ll be talking about birds and other winter wildlife, and ways you can get involved collecting important data … Continue reading Coming Soon: 12 Days of Winter Wildlife
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
This is the final Nature Classroom post before the summer holidays. We hope you have been enjoying exploring the natural world with us this term. We thought we would finish the term with some fun activities engaging with the wildlife on your doorstep. There is information about a fantastic citizen science project from Butterfly Conservation, as well as wildlife-watching activities as part of Summer at … Continue reading Watching Summer Wildlife
While we sleep at night, a world of nocturnal animals are going about their lives outside. Creatures like foxes and mice, owls and badgers and bats and moths tend to sleep or shelter during the day, and search for food at night. There are 18 species of bats in the UK and all of them eat insects. They often catch these insects mid-flight, using echolocation … Continue reading Night-time wildlife mobile
All living things have adapted to surviving successfully within their environments. They have adapted to changes in climate and habitat, as well as the other species that live around them. Some even work with other species to benefit themselves. Human impact has caused a lot of environmental change to happen very quickly. Evolution and adaptation are processes that take a long time to occur, and … Continue reading A Journey through Time and Habitats
Animals in the Arctic are all connected. Sat on top of the world, the Arctic is made up of sea ice surrounded by land. It is very cold, and contains very little plant life. The animals that live there rely on each other for their food and survival in this unique environment. A food chain shows how the animals are related with each other by … Continue reading Create Arctic animal puppets
Just beneath the waves in shallow tropical seas you’ll find a world teeming with life. It’s here that we find coral reefs – colourful habitats where countless creatures live. This Nature Classroom will explore these fascinating ecosystems and how they are being affected by climate change. First we will uncover what corals are, then make a coral reef spinner to explore coral bleaching. We’ll then … Continue reading Our Changing Reef Habitats
You can provide a safe space for British wildlife right in your garden or local green space. This is especially useful for creatures, including hedgehogs, if you live in an urban environment and can make a real difference to their survival. These unique prickly mammals are a favourite amongst the UK public (especially our ‘over-stuffed’ Museum specimen who has seen leaner days) and if we … Continue reading Become a Helpful Hedgehog Hero
Even a small garden can provide a home for several thousand species of insects and other minibeasts. Although a very small minority may not be popular guests, the vast majority will undertake important natural processes and improve the health of your garden. Many will pollinate your plants, break down decaying material to fertilise your soil and even eat the few ‘pests’ that may be causing … Continue reading A warm welcome for minibeasts
Museum of Zoology Blog 