Our talk by Prof Emily Rayfield, Digital Fossils, is now online! She discusses how far palaeontologists can make statements about the behaviour of extinct animals, drawing together evidence from fossils, living animals & using X-rays & methods co-opted from engineers. youtu.be/aumv_UamW5E

We're so grateful to be among some really wonderful exhibitions for the Exhibiting Excellence Prize! Breaking Ground has been a very exciting exhibition for us all around, as it showcases a recent acquisition to our archive that was years in the making, as well as the first described dinosaur fossil

Thirty relatively intact iguanodon skeletons were found in a coal mine in Belgium in the late 1800s. Louis Dollo, who supervised the first assembly of these fossils, believed it was a biped, as it is shown here. We now know that this was a quadruped, meaning it walked on four legs instead of two.

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was a scientific illustrator most famous for her 'Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium'. In this book filled with beautifully illustrated plates she explored the then poorly understood concept of insect metamorphosis.

It was long thought that all coelacanths went extinct millions of years ago until one appeared in a fishing net in the Indian Ocean in 1938. The fish was identified by Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer who was a keen naturalist born in South Africa.

Did you know that instead of blood, insects have a fluid called hemolymph. Instead of carrying oxygen through the body of the insect, hemolymph carries nutrients to tissues.

Unearth the real behaviours of prehistoric animals as we join acclaimed palaeontologist, author, and TV presenter Dr Dean Lomax on a remarkable journey through the grand cycle of life in deep time. The talk will be followed by a Q&A and a book signing 10 Oct at 7PM oumnh.ox.ac.uk/event/the-se...

Do you love interesting things in jars? Do we have the opportunity for you! We are hiring a Spirit Store Project Assistant to help us prepare the fluid preserved collections held at the Museum for transport to the collections storage facility. oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/spirit-store-project-assistant

⭐HIRING⭐ We are seeking a dynamic, creative, business-minded Events Manager with a passion for culture and heritage to run its busy events department, including managing and growing the thriving venue hire business. Closes 15 September https://oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/events-manager-0

The Secretary Bird is the tallest raptor in the world, though unlike many other raptors, they do all of their hunting on the ground. They will use their long, strong legs to stamp on and kick prey like small mammals and even snakes, while hunting.

The introduction of the British railway network in the first half of the 19th century revealed rock outcrops – and, in turn, unveiled palaeontological discoveries. Over 200 years later, ongoing expansion of the rail network continues to produce geological exposures and palaeontological finds.

It’s nearly your last chance to stop by the Museum and see this giant willow woven Ebola virus! The Deadly Six leaves next week.

All of the UK's top 5 hottest summers have occurred since the year 2000. This year was England's warmest June on record, and the hot, dry summer has meant a lot of stress for plants. What have you noticed around you this summer?

New publication from Museum Honorary Associate, Chris Stimpson, details the recovery of a 12,000 year old skeleton from a cave in Vietnam. Evidence shows the person whose remains were found was killed by a neck injury inflected by a quartz-tipped projectile.

One of our summer placement students created a beautiful webcomic honouring one of the most popular of our touchable specimens in the Museum. Art by Olli Ellis

@elliewilsonuk.bsky.social will perform Moth x Human at IF Oxford, at OUMNH @morethanadodo.bsky.social. Plus expert panel and insect exhibit. Fri 17 Oct. Book: ocmevents.org/whats-on/mot... @artscouncilengland.bsky.social @prsfoundation.bsky.social @ppluk.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social

Corsi’s collection, with its 1,000 samples of ancient and modern polished stones, is a remarkable resource for modern researchers. Corsi gave particular emphasis to recording quarry locations, and was one of the first to organise a decorative stone collection according to geological principles.

Each year the Museum runs a club for key stage 4 students. Investigators interested in the natural world have an opportunity to meet in the Museum and pursue an extended project of their choice. Investigators meet on Saturdays from 10:30 to 12:30 for 10 weeks, and work on their personal projects.

Did you know that the Oxford University Museum of Natural History @morethanadodo.bsky.social has Mary Anning's ichthyosaur on display?! Chapter book: Asha and Baz Meet Mary Anning releases in September wherever you buy books. Written by @parentclub.bsky.social oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-mary-a...

Only a few weeks left to view the art installation Deadly Six by A. Palmer. These hand woven viruses/parasite have been hanging in our court for the last year, and will continue to be on display through 8 September. So, now is your last chance to view them in person!

Introducing the next evolution in cabaret… Journey with us to the tropical jungles of Isla Oxford, where science and drag have combined to bring the age of dinosaurs roaring back to life. TICKETS ON SALE NOW oumnh.web.ox.ac.uk/event/life-f...

Today is World Elephant Day. There are three species of elephant: the African savanna, African forest, and Asian elephant. You can see fully articulated skeletons of the savanna and Asian elephant on display in our skeleton parade.

When you're coming in and out of the RSL do keep an eye out for our neighbours the swifts, you may see new fledglings. @morethanadodo.bsky.social have a wonderful swift diary to help you keep up to date! oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-swifts... Let us know if you spot any!

"How do we measure success in the fight to save nature?" 🌱 New Expert Comment by NbSI's Dr Emily Warner for @ox.ac.uk #Naturebasedsolutions projects won't find success without strong ecological monitoring, but this is not always an easy task. Read the full article ➡️ www.ox.ac.uk/news/feature...

We are hiring a Deputy Visitor Experience Manager! This is a central role within the Museum, welcoming the Museum’s 830,000 annual visitors, providing information, support and practical assistance, all delivered with the highest standards of customer care. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

These delicate models were created by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Czech artists who specialised in glasswork and ran a business spanning 300 years and nine generations.

Cats have always found their way into places they shouldn't be. Have you spotted these cat paw prints in one of our bricks? It can be seen above your head as you walk up the south side of the building to the upper level.

While our exhibition Breaking Ground has been extended until April, some of the archive material will be coming off display to be changed out for different archive materials. The artwork and diagrams in this case in particular will largely be switched out come 19 Aug, so come see them while you can!

This model growling grass frog was created for our modern ecosystems display by Kieran at Hellbender Museum. For certain species obtaining models is often the best way for them to be represented in a display case, especially when frogs often loose their bright colours when preserved in fluid.

Pantalaimon, is that you? Meet our pine marten in a jar! This type of specimen is commonly called a 'wet specimen' because it is kept preserved in fluid. Though, sometimes are called 'spirit specimens' because alcohol often makes up the fluid (formalin is also commonly used).

This is the skull of a loggerhead sea turtle. As adults these sea turtles commonly weight between 80-180kg but the largest loggerhead recorded weighed in at 545kg and was over 2 meters in length.

Bacteria can be beautiful! Several years ago we had a special exhibition all about the bacterial world, and as part of this we created bacterial cultures on agar plates using everyday, regularly handled objects. This is the bacteria grown on the agar from contact with a 50p coin.

25 July 1810: birth of the eccentric Thomas Hawkins, collector of Lias marine reptiles from Street and Lyme Regis. His fossils, including a large ichthyosaur found by #MaryAnning in 1832, can be seen @nhm-london.bsky.social. Others are @sedgwickmuseum.bsky.social & @morethanadodo.bsky.social.

Visited Museum of Natural History of Oxford University today. Clean but very powerful exhibits illustrating evolution and biodiversity. Highly recommend. @morethanadodo.bsky.social

The first image shows the brain of an African civet, and the second of an American black bear, both from our wet specimens collection. Both African civets and black bears are opportunistic foragers and are known to be adaptable to living in environments with high human activity.

We have a new display in our community case! This case near the entrance of the Museum is there to highlight the work we do with various community groups, artists, and the wider public. The current case is highlighting artwork made by visitors to our Climate Justice Late Night event.

Behold, William Burchell's wagon as he trekked across South Africa in 1810 where he travelled over 4,500 miles from Cape Province to Karoo plains collecting and describing over 63,000 specimens. Several specimens seen in this painting are now in the Museum's collection.

Guess how I spent my morning? When there's ringing in a tower, but no bells are involved, you must be in the @morethanadodo.bsky.social 🐥 🧪🌍🪶 European swifts in the museum's nest boxes have been studied since 1947. Read more here: oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-swifts... @oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social

Icones with your ice cream cones? Today is National Ice Cream Day! We hope you get the chance for a cone and maybe to check out our J. Icones book Iconotypes, featuring hand painted butterflies and moths. https://shop.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/products/iconotypes-a-compendium-of-butterflies-and-moths

Have you ever spotted the hand carved corbels on our upper level? There are so many beautiful botanical specimens carved into the Museum. Which one is your favourite?

Day 1 of Insect Taxonomy and Field Sampling Skills at Wytham Woods earlier this week, learning about insect sampling methods. Really enjoying this course ran at the Museum of Natural History Oxford. @morethanadodo.bsky.social

Then vs Now: Same chimp, same task - 17 years apart 🐒🔧 New Oxford-led research suggests that ageing can affect how wild chimpanzees use tools, though the impact varies widely between individuals. More info ⬇️ www.ox.ac.uk/news/2025-07...

Our special exhibition Breaking Ground has just been extended to Monday 13 April 2026! That gives you time to come and see the original Megalosaurus jaw fossil, the dinosaur that started it all, as well as work from the lives of William and Mary Buckland, the Victorian scientific power couple.

I saw this exhibit a couple of weeks ago and the photos are stunning

#FossilFriday: cave hyaena fossils from Kirkdale Cavern, Yorkshire, used by William Buckland in his 1822 study of cave faunas, Reliquiae Diluvianae, and currently on display @morethanadodo.bsky.social's Breaking Ground exhibition.

This unassuming shield bug, on temporary display as part of our Microsculpture exhibit has a fascinating history. This particular insect was collected by none other than Charles Darwin in Australia in 1836 during his expedition on the HMS Beagle.

New extinction theory just dropped 🦤 🦖 @morethanadodo.bsky.social

It is sometimes difficult to grasp how long dinosaurs roamed our planet. The triceratops lived during the Cretaceous period, about 66 mya, but the Megalosaurus lived in the Jurassic, about 166 mya. That means there was roughly 100 million yrs between the time that these two species walked the Earth

Are you keeping up to date with the swifts in our tower? There are currently 42 nests occupied with 88 young and a further 10 eggs. A couple of early developers ringed last week have already fledged! oumnh.ox.ac.uk/swifts-diary...