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WEBBirds: Brilliant and Bizarre A new exhibition, open now. Book your tickets. Travel through 4.6 billion years of our planet's history and help protect its future. Get your free ticket. Ticket holders skip the queues. Exhibitions not included in free admission – must be booked separately. Open 10.00-17.50 (last entry 17.30)
How an asteroid ended the age of the dinosaurs
WEBAsteroids are large, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun.They range from a few to hundreds of metres in diameter. Any fragment of an asteroid that survives landing on Earth becomes known as a meteorite.. The Alvarez hypothesis was initially controversial, but it is now the most widely accepted theory for the mass extinction at the end of the Mesozoic Era.
Dinosaurs - Natural History Museum
WEBEver since they were first identified in the 1800s, dinosaurs have sparked the imagination of kids and adults alike. Explore the history of these prehistoric reptiles and find out how Museum science continues to reveal insights about what dinosaurs looked like and how they lived. Watch dinosaur videos, take our quiz to find out which dinosaur ...
How do camels survive in deserts? - Natural History Museum
WEBCamels are well suited to their desert habitats, with numerous clever adaptations that help them to tolerate extreme hot and cold environments. Camels are part of a group known as camelids. This makes them close relatives of llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas, which are all native to South America. There are three species of camels living ...
Squirrels in the UK: what they are up to, when and why
WEBRed and grey squirrels start breeding when they are 10-12 months old. They usually have two litters of two to four offspring each year. The first litter is born in early spring and the second in early summer. Baby squirrels, known as kits or …
Pond life: facts about pond habitats, plants and animals
WEBResearch suggests that ponds support more freshwater life than any other UK freshwater habitat. Ponds with a range of features tend to host a greater variety of wildlife. Features can include sloping 'beaches' and muddy margins, shallow open water, deeper sections, vegetation around the edges and areas with overhanging trees.
Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy's species - Natural History Museum
WEBAustralopithecus afarensis facts . Lived: 3.7 million to three million years ago Where: East Africa Appearance: a projecting face, an upright stance and a mixture of ape-like and human-like body features Brain size: about 385-550cm 3 Height: about 1-1.7m (females were much shorter than males) Weight: about 25 …
Homo habilis, an early maker of stone tools - Natural History …
WEBFamous palaeoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered Homo habilis in 1960. Along with their son Jonathan, they unearthed the first fossils at Olduvai Gorge in the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, East Africa. The couple had already found fossils of another primitive hominin species and some early stone tools at the site.
Axolotls: Meet the amphibians that never grow up
WEBAxolotls are often the top predators in their native habitats. They eat whatever they can get their jaws on, including molluscs, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and even some small fish. Axolotls can live 10-15 years in the wild, reaching sexual maturity after about a year. They reach up to 30 centimetres long and weigh around 50-200 grams.
Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor | Natural History Museum
WEBHomo erectus facts . Lived: from about two million years ago until at least 250,000 years ago Where: Africa, Asia and perhaps Europe Appearance: human-like body proportions and upright stance, a protruding brow ridge, large face and no chin Brain size: about 550-1,250cm 3 Height: about 1.4-1.8m Weight: about 41-65kg Diet: meat (initially from scavenging but later potentially also from hunting ...