Copenhagen Zoological Museum

The Copenhagen Zoological Museum ( Danish: ''Zoologisk Museum'') is a part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is affiliated with the University of Copenhagen.

History

The Zoological Museum It is among the world's oldest natural history museums, as its collection was started by Ole Worm more than 350 years ago, although it was officially founded in 1862.

Collections

The zoological collections contain some 10 million specimens representing an estimated 10 % of described multicellular animal species. The history of the collections reach back in time more than 200 years. Apart from rich collections of Danish animals, the museum has strong representation of:

* The North Atlantic and Arctic (especially Greenland)
* The former Danish colonies in the West Indies
* East Africa (especially the Eastern Arc mountains)
* South American insects (especially butterflies)
* Philippines, Bismarck and Solomon Islands
* Deep Sea faunas
* Whale skeletons
* Material from several expeditions; Ingolf 1892, Galathea 2 (1950-52), Atlantide (1932), P.W. Lund (Lagoa Santa 1832–44)

Exhibitions

The permanent exhibition 'From pole to pole' show animals from around the world in big displays. There is also a Charles Darwin exhibition (with the largest collection of Darwin specimens, mainly barnacles, outside the Natural History Museum, London) and a full collection of animals in the Danish territory, including Greenland. The museum has many important remains of recently extinct birds in storage, including the eyes and internal organs of the last two great auks, several specimens of the pied raven, and one of only two known complete skulls of the dodos that were taken to Europe in the 17th century. Other notable examples include the only known specimen of the spider ''Pardosa danica'', some of the first discovered remains of the saola, and fossils of ancient animals like the transitional ''Ichthyostega'' and a '' Diplodocus'' nicknamed "Misty".

Gallery

Image:Zoologisk museum - Copenhagen 9.JPG, Rain forest with orangutan
Image:Zoologisk museum.jpg, Antarctic display with penguins
Image:Copenhagen Auk.jpg, One of two taxidermied great auks at the museum
Image:Misty Diplodocus.jpg, "Misty", a '' Diplodocus'' dinosaur
Image:Darwin's barnacles.jpg, Barnacles from Charles Darwin's collection, gifted to scientists at the university in 1854
Image:Emeus crassus.jpg, Skeleton of an eastern moa, a species that was hunted to extinction shortly after the first humans arrived in New Zealand
Image:Strix nebulosa plumage.jpg, Great grey owl, showing its body-size compared to its plumage
Image:Glyptodon Copenhagen.jpg, '' Glyptodon'' (shown) and saber-toothed cats are among the important prehistoric specimens collected by Peter Wilhelm Lund

References

External links

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Natural history museums in Denmark
Museums in Copenhagen
University museums in Denmark
University of Copenhagen
Museums established in 1862
1862 establishments in Denmark

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