Zoology | Oxford University Museum of Natural History

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Kiwi (Apteryx australis)

Zoology

The zoology collections contain all of the animal specimens held by Museum. These specimens come from a variety of sources, including historic anatomy teaching collections and early expedition collections, and the research collections of eminent zoologists and amateur naturalists. With over 5 million specimens, the zoology collections are the largest in the Museum and fill several storerooms behind the scenes – what you see on display is only a tiny fraction of the entire collection. The collections are actively growing and used for scientific research, as well as supporting teaching and public engagement.

Crabs Darwin

Book a special interest visit to the collections

Our collections are enormously powerful for research. Learn more about our facilities and service for researchers.

Deilephila elpenor with head retracted

Object identification

The Museum offers a free object identification service

Find out more about the Museum's collections