Welcome
Help us to #raisethewhale!
We desperately need YOUR help to clean, conserve, re-mount and exhibit our iconic Finback Whale and other specimens in time for the Museum’s re-opening in Autumn 2016. Our treasures deserve to be presented at their absolute best and it is essential they are preserved for generations to come. Any gift, no matter how small, will support our efforts and is greatly appreciated. So please, help us to #raisethewhale Thank you.
Further information about the campaign
Ocean Song: Sounds of the Sea Workshops
Thursday August 27, at the Ely Museum
We are excited to be at The Ely Museum for two Ocean Song workshops, at 3pm and 7pm on August 27th, with choir leader Rowena Whitehead. Join us at this fabulous museum as we go on a sound journey from seashore to open ocean and add your voice to the Ocean Song soundscape. ( online booking Ocean Song Ely )
Find out more and listen to the results of previous Ocean Song workshops through our Ocean Song Blog
Arup building named in honour of Sir David Attenborough
On Tuesday 21st of April, the Arup Building, the building housing the Museum and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, was officially renamed The David Attenborough Building, in honour of the great naturalist and presenter. We had the enormous privilege of taking Sir David on a tour behind the scenes. Further details
A Cambridge Safari
Download our Cambridge Safari Trail, finding the animals in the architecture around the city centre. Cambridge Safari Trail
Museum of Zoology awarded £1.8 million grant from Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £1.8 million towards the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. This funding will support ambitious plans to completely redevelop the Museum of Zoology with displays showcasing the wonders of the animal kingdom, and new stores to preserve its outstanding collections for the future. Wonders of the Animal Kingdom project pages
In order to realise our ambitious plans we need to raise additional funds. Any donation, however small, will help.
Academic Research 2013-2016
There are some important changes to the accessibility of the collections for research over the next 3 years. Please click the link below for further details.
Rhino horn thefts:
Owing to thefts of rhino horn in UK museums, all UMZC rhino horn material has been removed from the premises to a secure location. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Wonders of the Animal Kingdom
A New Museum of Zoology
The Museum of Zoology is now closed for refurbishment until 2016, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Find out more about the redevelopment on the Wonders of the Animal Kingdom project pages, and the online publication Wonders of the Animal Kingdom. In order to realise our ambitious plans and provide a Museum that our collections deserve, we need to raise additional funds. Any donation, however small, will help. To make a donation, please go to the University of Cambridge Online Giving page
Follow progress of the Museum’s redevelopment with the Inside the Cocoon blog. We have expanded digital access to our collections with the Animal Bytes blog telling stories behind the collections, and our new Store Stories project with the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and Whipple Museum of the History of Science, giving a glimpse of the work behind the scenes at the museums.
The Young Zoologists and Zoology Clubs will continue to run, and we have an active outreach programme throughout the closure.
We look forward to welcoming you to the new museum in 2016.
The Museum of Zoology is home to a huge variety of recent and fossil animals.
Our collections rival those of the major university museums world-wide, and are used for academic study by researchers within and beyond the University.
More about our collections »
Displays trace the evolution of animal life, with intricately beautiful shells, a comprehensive collection of British birds, and many large skeletons of mammals.
More about our exhibitions & displays »
Our events include art and photographic exhibitions, talks and family fun days.
Upcoming events »
Darwin at the Museum of Zoology The Museum has strong links to Darwin. A permanent exhibition was opened in 2009 displaying specimens collected and used by Darwin, including animals collected during the Beagle voyage, and beetles he collected while he was an undergradate student at Cambridge.
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The University Museum of Zoology is part of the Department of Zoology.