Museum Stories

MUSEUM STORIES

Learn about some of the Museum's treasures, and discover specimens from our behind-the-scenes collections.

300 BILLION TIMES THE SIZE

Arthropods and their staggering diversity

In the great scheme of nature, size matters. The size difference between the smallest and largest arthropods is greater than that between the Earth and Sun.

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EARTH'S MASS EXTINCTIONS

Told through five museum specimens

Huge volcanic eruptions, sea-level and climate changes, and massive meteorite strikes have all eliminated whole groups of organisms. In the aftermath of a mass extinction, new species and ecosystems may flourish, but the world will never be quite the same again.

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ANIMAL, VEGETABLE OR MINERAL?

How to categorise a coral

Sometimes, animals are easy to identify. Other times, they may be surprising, unfamiliar, or even invisible to the naked eye. Within the kindgom 'Animalia' are creatures whose lives are very different to our own, and whose categorisation stumped scholars for centuries.

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The Oxford Dodo

Meet one of the most famous extinct birds in the world

A palaeoart reconstruction of Megalosaurus bucklandii, the first dinosaur ever to be described by scientists.

The Oxfordshire dinosaurs

Come and see four species of dinosaurs discovered in Oxfordshire

Swifts in the tower

In the summer, the Museum tower is a nesting site for swifts

Beehive

Ever wondered what happens inside a beehive? Take a look at footage of the Museum bees at work.

Jones' Icones

Jones' Icones is one of the most beautiful and scientifically important works on butterfly and moth collections found in Britain

Ice Ages in Oxfordshire

The Pleistocene Epoch, more commonly referred to as the Ice Age, lasted from 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago. The Oxfordshire landscape is rich in Pleistocene fossils, thanks in a large part to the River Thames and its tributaries. By studying these fossils, we can reconstruct the Oxfordshire of the past, and learn more about how animal and plant species were able to respond to the Pleistocene's changing climate.

Brasier Collection

The Brasier Collection housed in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History represents the lifelong work of the late Professor Martin Brasier, who was a pioneer in the study of early life. The collection comprises priceless specimens, including a variety of microfossils, and their associated documentation.