Earlier this year, we had on display a small exhibition of zines on a theme of pollinators in the Museum. To celebrate World Bee Day on May 20th, we wanted to share these inspiring pieces more widely. Follow the Zines for Pollinators below, and learn how to make your own. This exhibition was curated by Nynke Blömer, PhD student in the Museum of Zoology, and … Continue reading Zines for Pollinators
Rosalind Mackay, Museum of Zoology, writes: I am currently studying for a master’s in the Department of Zoology here at the University of Cambridge. My project is about insect conservation and public engagement. These two seemingly disparate aspects are connected by the intervention we’re trialling. Prof Ed Turner, my supervisor, has been collaborating with the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire for several years … Continue reading Butterfly Banks and the Public
Sacchi Shin-Clayton, Museum of Zoology, writes: When we think about conservation, our minds often go to preserving untouched natural forests. While this is undeniably important, we sometimes overlook the pressing need to restore the landscapes we’ve already transformed through human activity. Agriculture, for instance, is one of the biggest drivers of landscape change worldwide, and with the ever-growing demand for food, it’s only intensifying. The … Continue reading Balancing Agriculture and Conservation: A Journey in Restoration Ecology
We are excited to announce our Zoology Live! festival for 2024! This year we are exploring the connections between animals in their habitats, and the connections between people and the natural world. Join us online on Wednesday 19 June from 7pm as we broadcast live from the Museum exploring the collections, and get your questions ready for our wildlife experts. You can find on our … Continue reading Zoology Live! Animal Connections
It’s that time of year again: time for our Zoology Live! festival. For Zoology Live! 2023 we are exploring the wildlife in our towns and cities. Zoology Live! Online Thursday 29th June 2023, 7pm-8pm Join us live on our YouTube channel as we take a deep dive into the wildlife of the city of Cambridge, jump across the world to find out about urban wildlife … Continue reading Zoology Live! Goes Urban
Find animals in the Museum or in an outside green space and draw or write about what you see. Scientists do this when they explore the natural world. Scientist’s Notebook activity sheet Download our Scientist’s Notebook activity sheet and use the notebook template on there to help you explore the natural world Your Notebooks These Scientist Notebooks were created in the Museum of Zoology on … Continue reading Create your own Scientist’s Notebook
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: Butterfly
Winter is a tough time of year, with its short days, long nights, and often overcast skies. But there is still wildlife to be enjoyed, and spending time in nature has been shown to improve wellbeing. With these posts, the team at the Museum of Zoology are sharing how they like to spend five minutes in nature and get reacquainted with the wildlife on their … Continue reading Five Minutes in Nature: Starlings
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
For #ZoologyLive 2020 we challenge you to build an animal you have seen using LEGO. LEGO bricks are excellent building materials that allow us to use our creativity, imagination, and observations to create sculptures. The tips below will help you to get started and let you know how to enter our prize draw… #LetsBuildTogether and Create a Lego Creature Top tips: Build a creature you … Continue reading LEGO Creature Challenge
Let’s be creative with materials at home For #ZoologyLive we challenge you to use the materials around you to create a creature! There are many materials, containers and items that we put into the recycle bin. While recycling is one way to look after our planet, they can also make excellent crafting materials. The natural world also provides us with some excellent crafting ingredients. Discover … Continue reading Recycled Make Challenge
Matt Hayes, research assistant, takes us through how to record the wildlife we see using iRecord: What is iRecord?iRecord is a website for sharing wildlife observations. What does iRecord do?Its goal is to make it easier for wildlife sightings to be collected, checked by experts and made available to support research and decision-making. How do I add my wildlife sightings?You can register for free and … Continue reading How to observe wildlife: iRecord
Matt Hayes, research assistant writes: There are many ways to look for minibeasts that live around you and one easy method is to use a beat net. You don’t need any fancy equipment; a white sheet or tray will work just as well as a store-bought net. An upside-down pale umbrella also makes the perfect substitute. A pale white colour works best as it helps … Continue reading How to observe wildlife: beat-netting
To celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month the Museum is sharing the stories of 27 inspirational women, alongside the animals they work with the most. Dr Amelia Hood Department of Zoology “I’m an ecologist who loves social insects. For my PhD, I worked in oil palm plantations in Indonesia and studied ants and termites. There is one termite species, Macrotermes gilvus, that is … Continue reading Termite mound-mates create even more questions for scientists
Kate Howlett, PhD student: Kate Howlett, PhD student at the University Museum of Zoology, talks about why she’ll be taking part in the Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge. She’ll be doing one ‘random act of wildness’ each day this June and seeing what effects this has on her happiness and health. Click the button below to read her piece about why she’s never taken … Continue reading 30 Days Wild Challenge
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