Ask us questions! Please! We need something to talk about!

Got so excited by @joshlukedavis.com remora clutch bag I forgot to post the pictures of my lovely “worm” friends!

Last chance to ask us any questions about the last 9 episodes of Perfect Specimen as we’re recording the Q&A tomorrow!

Love venom? Check out NOXIOUS m.youtube.com/watch?v=6C67... And @joshlukedavis.com cheats with three specimens!

ok but how would you hold this?? The best thing I learnt about remora fish though is that people used to hunt with them! They would attach a metal collar around its tail and release it into the water when a turtle was near. The fish would stick to the animal, and the fishers would reel them in!! 🐟

Amazing pictures of one of our works from TACKY!

Have you ever wondered how we care for Hope, our beloved blue whale? 🤔🐳 Twice a year, our conservators carry out detailed inspections of her 25-metre skeleton. This work includes cleaning and making essential repairs, ensuring Hope can continue to inspire and be admired by generations to come.

For more quality facts like this listen to TACKY today! 🐟

Ah yes it’s that time again. Please enjoy TACKY m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bku... where @joshlukedavis.com tries to work out how to best carry a fish and @nhcooper123.bsky.social becomes obsessed with worms…

Ah yes it’s that time again. Please enjoy TACKY m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bku... where @joshlukedavis.com tries to work out how to best carry a fish and @nhcooper123.bsky.social becomes obsessed with worms…

🎉 It's that time of the year agaaaain! 🎉 Wildlife Photographer of the Year is fast approaching, so here is a sneak peek of some of the extraordinary images that made it through 👀 We've got jellyfish! We've got slime moulds! We've got bats! Check them out! 🧪👇🏻 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Monkeys in space! Or more accurately in boxes.

Have you listened to RELIABLE yet? Some links below to some of the specimens we featured.

Listen to this episode of @perfect-specimen.bsky.social because it might be the best yet. Aardvark cucumbers, a specimen that most Irish people would call 'unreliable', and morbid space monkey deaths told in rapid succession to the point I couldn't tell whether to laugh or cry. RIP all the Alberts!

If you’ve not listened to RELIABLE yet you should! Alternatively enjoy the spoiler below 🤣

Ah yes, those old RELIABLE…space monkeys??? m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_pp...

Our new temporary display shows off some of our wonderful stamp collection in our Reading Room display case. Our small but varied collection of postage stamps contains several thousand from around the world. Many have been acquired through donation; all are subject-relevant and in mint condition.

Ah yes, those old RELIABLE…space monkeys??? m.youtube.com/watch?v=o_pp...

Nearly time for another episode! This time it's RELIABLE! We had a lot of fun with this one despite the word being quite tricky! What would you choose? And remember to keep sending in your Qs for our Q&A episode coming very soon... [I don't know why this rat is reliable]

Here’s the actual fossil too! This was so exciting to have out of the collections. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Have you listened to INCOMPLETE yet? Available wherever you get your podcasts. If you have, here are some links to additional materials and things we mentioned in the episode!

If you're enjoying the Perfect Specimen we'd love to collect any questions you have for Josh and Natalie (or Producers Ben and Duncan), about their chosen specimens, the Museum, natural history, making the podcast etc. for a special Q & A episode. No Qs means more waffle. You have been warned!

This was a really tricky one! What species would you say fits the theme of 'incomplete'? We ended up deciding that everyone should just pivot to ants 🐜🧪

That’s the face of someone thinking really hard about ants 🐜 🐜 🐜

Paper here for those interested: A Novel Form of Stereo Vision in the Praying Mantis www.cell.com/current-biol...

It’s INCOMPLETE time! We had to think hard for this one! As is clear from @nhcooper123.bsky.social ‘s expression in the thumbnail 🤣 m.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q9g...

Time for a Good News Roundup from the Natural History Museum! This time, we’re heading back over 66 million years for a #FossilFriday special! (1/5) 🧵

Yes please ask @joshlukedavis.com and I some questions or I will be forced read out every kind of type listed in the IZCN and IBCN until someone stops me…

If you’ve visited the Museum before, you’ve probably seen our animatronic T. rex and Hope, our resident blue whale! 🦖 But did you know there are thousands of other specimens to see? From a pocket-sized mammal to a bone-chilling gemstone, discover four unusual specimens you might not have heard of.⬇️

BIG NEWS: For the first time in six years, Britain's rarest breeding bird has successfully nested in the UK! A pair of Montagu's Harriers have raised four healthy chicks, all of which have taken their first flights.

If you're enjoying the Perfect Specimen we'd love to collect any questions you have for Josh and Natalie (or Producers Ben and Duncan), about their chosen specimens, the Museum, natural history, making the podcast etc. for a special Q & A episode. No Qs means more waffle. You have been warned!

Almost time for our next episode INCOMPLETE! Josh and Natalie really had to stretch their lateral thinking skills for this one! What would you choose?

Have you listened to OVERRATED yet? Are you furious about our choices? If you haven't listened yet, do it now! If you have, we'll add some links to add context below...

Does this summer heat make you feel like a greater naked bat (Cheiromeles torquatus)?🥵 Glands in its neck produce unpleasant-smelling, oily secretions—the scent of which has been compared to “stale socks drenched in engine oil.” Photo: Vatcharavee Sriprasertsil, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

OVERRATED also features our first Poetry Corner on "In Memorium AHH" by Tennyson which features the line "Nature, red in tooth and claw" and "Dragons of the Prime" i.e. dinosaurs. But also: "Tis better to have loved and lost; Than never to have loved at all." archive.org/details/inme...

Have you listened to OVERRATED yet? Are you furious about our choices? If you haven't listened yet, do it now! If you have, we'll add some links to add context below...

What has a bird-like skull, a lizard-like body and a clawed tail? It's a drepanosaur! New research has revealed another odd thing about these bizarre Triassic reptiles: a feather-like structure that's nothing to do with birds! Find out all about it for #FossilFriday 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Recently we shared a video of our lovely Curator of Hemiptera, Diana, showing you her favourite bugs! Lots of you asked to see them in detail, so please enjoy this thread of our bug scientist’s favourite bugs (and why she loves them!)

One from last week - the dawn of a solar system captured for the first time www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

🚨Call for entries!🚨 We're looking for the best original, unpublished essay in the history of natural history from undergraduate & postgraduate students worldwide. 🥇£300, publication in Archives of Natural History 📅Friday 15 August Find out eligibility & how to apply 👇🏻 shnh.org.uk/awards-honou...

Did you know the oldest known scorpion is over 430 million years old? It might not even be the earliest known arachnid - possibly the oldest one ever has just been dated at over half a billion years old! Find out about Mollisonia 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

Waiting for the hate mail to start pouring in… 🦖

As soon as I said it, I knew this would be the quote used 🥲 What species do you think is overrated 👀? LIsten to the latest episode of the @perfect-specimen.bsky.social where me and Natalie trash talk dolphins and dinosaurs 🐬🧪🦖 www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKx...

It’s our most controversial episode yet! What do Josh and Natalie think is OVERRATED? Do you agree??? m.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKx...

One of the earliest known ichthyosaurs has been hiding a secret for 180 million years! A new fossil has revealed that Temnodontosaurus could sneak up on its prey, with flippers that helped it to soar silently underwater. Discover more about these stealthy swimmers 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

The Big Butterfly Count 2025 is here and butterflies need our help 🦋🚨 This isn't just a survey, it's a rescue mission, and we need everyone to get involved. No lab coats. No science degrees. Just 15 minutes of your time. ⏱️ Get out for the count 👉 bigbutterflycount.org

Have you heard? There’s a new dinosaur in town, and it's name is Enigmacursor. But who, or what, is it? Find out everything you need to know with these five fast facts, almost as speedy as the cursor itself 5️⃣🦖💨

Hyenas: cackling carnivores most commonly found in clans across Africa. But do you know what kind of animal a hyena is? 🤔 Find out for sure in this week’s #SurprisingScience 🐕🐈‍⬛