I recently visited the Natural History Museum of London. It has
over 70 million specimens from all over the natural world, from dinosaurs and
mammals, to human anatomy, even a history of the geological earth! Occupying
the central hall is a 26 meter long Diplodocus
model, affectionately called
Dippy by the museum staff:
There are five zones to visit, each with a different focus of
specimen. The Orange Zone has The Wildlife Garden and the Darwin Centre, which
allows you to see science in action. The Blue Zone is the home of the dinosaur
exhibit, for which you have to queue (it's that popular!), as well as human
anatomy, mammals, and marine life. This zone houses a life size model of the
Blue Whale, one of the largest animals in the world. There are also models of
other whales, as well as elephants, rhinos, and even a bison. This section of
the Blue Zone was one of my favorites to see and explore, as it had many hands
on activities, letting you see and hear what a dolphin sees and hears. All the
skeletons and models were pretty exciting too:
This is me in the Blue Zone, with the rhino and whale skeleton
models behind me. They were huge!
The Central Hall is the next zone, which houses a spectacular
painted ceiling, as well as a coelacanth, or living fossil fish, Dippy, and
other large fossils. The Green Zone Has a cross section of a giant sequoia, the
world's largest tree. There's also a large wall filled with the fossils of
Ichtheosaurs and Plesiosaurs, ancient marine reptiles, much like marine
dinosaurs, found by Mary Anning. Here's a few pictures of those fossils- the
first is an Ichthiosaur, the second is a Plesiosaur:
Pretty cool, huh? They were oceanic giants! The next zone is the
Red Zone, which holds the history of the earth, and various other geological
artifacts.
Being interested in the sciences, especially animal science, I
loved being able to visit this museum! The Blue Zone was by far my favorite,
and the one I spent the most time in. I just loved looking at all the animals
the earth holds, or has held in the past, especially the marine invertebrates
and mammals. There were a lot of funny looking fish models, like this guy:
He's a trench fish, basically blind from living in the dark depths
of the ocean. His shape is so interesting, I just had to get a picture of it!
If you're visiting London, I definitely recommend taking some time
out to visit the Natural History Museum. It has something interesting for
everyone, and it's also free! With so many cool exhibits to explore, and at no
cost, how could anyone pass up a chance to look around one of London's best
museums?
Here’s a video with some information about the museum and some of
the things you can find there:
Rachel Talaber
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