Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH), ( ur, ) established in 1976, is a public
natural history museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...
situated in
Islamabad
Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...
, the federal capital of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
It has exhibits and galleries which display and provide information about the ecology, geology, and
paleontology
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
of the country. Currently, the museum houses a collection of over 600,000 objects.
[ The museum also acts as a research center and works closely with the ]Lok Virsa Museum
Heritage Museum ( ur, ), also known as Lok Virsa Museum is a museum administered and managed by Lok Virsa - National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage. It is a museum of history and culture in Islamabad, Pakistan, located on the Shakarpa ...
. The museum is open to public everyday, except for Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum is managed by the Pakistan Science Foundation
The Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) ( ur, ) is an institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Pakistan. It funds scientific studies, research and development. The Pakistan Science Foundation also operates and a ...
, under the Ministry of Science and Technology.[
]
Exhibits and galleries
*Biological gallery - displays and discusses wild flora and fauna, portrayed in their respective habitats.[
*Ecological gallery - an educational section where ecological cycles, habitats and environmental problems are discussed through visuals and audios.][
*Gemstones gallery - shows a variety of gems in-the-raw as well as cut and polished forms.
*Palaeontology gallery - displays fossils along with their studies. Anthropology is also discussed through paintings and writings, including a skull of ]Australopithecus
''Australopithecus'' (, ; ) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genus ''Homo'' (which includes modern humans) emerged within ''Australopithecus'', as sister to e.g. ''Australo ...
. Wall paintings depict the pre-historic era.[
*Tethys gallery - provides information about oceanology, petrology, pedology and mineralogy of Pakistan. It displays a three-dimensional diorama of seascapes as well as a skeleton of a whale. Different aspects of the ]Salt Range
The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. Th ...
are also studied in detail.[
*Virtual Orientation Gallery - it allows visitors to take virtual tours of all the above galleries without actually walking around the entire museum. This new gallery was introduced in 2016.][
]
Staff
* Dr. Saima Huma Tanveer- Director General of the Museum in 2021
Events
PMNH acquired a large whale shark
The whale shark (''Rhincodon typus'') is a slow-moving, filter feeder, filter-feeding carpet shark and the largest known Extant taxon, extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of .McClain CR, Balk MA, Benfield MC, Bran ...
which landed at Karachi Fish Harbour
Karachi Fish Harbour is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Over 90 percent of the Pakistan's fish and seafood catch and exports pass through the harbour.
In 2020, Kemari District was carved out from Karachi West District. So Karachi Fish Harb ...
in 2012, according to PMNH. This whale shark had a length of about and weighed 16 tonnes.Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channe ...
, by local fishermen. According to them, it was alive at that time but died before they started hauling it towards the sea shore. The fish was brought to Karachi Fish Harbour on February 7, 2012, and auctioned for Rs. 200,000. The Museum bought this shark and mounted it as a dried specimen. However, due to the lack of professional taxidermy skills and poor maintenance, the specimen is perishing quickly, despite being repainted and repaired several times.
See also
* Natural history of Indian sub-continent
*Wildlife of Pakistan
The wildlife of Pakistan comprises a diverse flora and fauna in a wide range of habitats from sea level to high elevation areas in the mountains, including 195 mammal, 668 bird species and more than 5000 species of Invertebrates. This diverse compo ...
*Lok Virsa Museum
Heritage Museum ( ur, ), also known as Lok Virsa Museum is a museum administered and managed by Lok Virsa - National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage. It is a museum of history and culture in Islamabad, Pakistan, located on the Shakarpa ...
*List of museums in Pakistan
This is a list of museums, galleries, and related building structures in Pakistan.
Museums and galleries
Archaeological and historical museums
* Harappa Museum, Harappa
* Baha ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistan Museum Of Natural History
Buildings and structures in Islamabad
Natural history museums in Pakistan
Pakistan federal departments and agencies
1976 establishments in Pakistan
Cultural heritage sites in Islamabad