Natural History Museum

The 60th edition of Wildlife Photographer of the Year is officially open! 📸 Immerse yourself in breathtaking, award-winning images in the world’s best wildlife photography exhibition. Which photo is your favourite? Book your tickets today: https://brnw.ch/21wNFuE

Have you ever wondered what the Museum looked like when it first opened? 🤔 This stunning watercolour gives us a glimpse of the Museum just seven years after it opened. Can you spot where in the Museum this painting shows? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

Congratulations to all the Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners! 🏆 Shane Gross’s The Swarm of Life is the Adult Grand Title Winner. Capturing hundreds of western tadpoles in British Columbia, Shane brings attention to the mesmerising creatures living under the surface. 🥇 Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas's Life Under Dead Wood is the Young Grand Title Winner. In this intriguing photograph, Alexis captured one of the most abundant of all macroscopic animals, a springtail, and a slime mold. Discover all the category winners and explore the fascinating stories behind the photographs here 👇 https://brnw.ch/21wNASe

Did you know neurones are the building blocks of intelligence? 🧠  Neurones are specialised cells that control everything from movement to memory. The octopus, a highly intelligent creature, has about 500 million neurones!  Celebrate World Octopus Day by learning more about octopuses and their mollusc relatives in our brand-new Naturally Curious course—link in the comments below! 🦑🐙🎓

One year ago today, the National Education Nature Park launched! 🎉 So far… 🍃 1 in 8 schools and colleges in England are taking part 🗺️ Children and young people have mapped out over two million m2 of habitat across the education estate (that’s about 1600 Olympic-size swimming pools!) 🦋 They’re creating a network of green spaces across the country through building green walls, digging ponds and growing pollinator friendly plants, making their learning sites better for both people and wildlife The free programme puts nature at the heart of education and is led by the Natural History Museum working with the RHS and other partners and commissioned by the Department for Education. The Nature Park map is ✨glowing✨ and we can’t wait to see it continue to grow! Read more about how the programme is having a positive impact on nature, wellbeing and young people's futures 👇 https://brnw.ch/21wNrKn #EducationNaturePark #ClimateInEducation #ClimateNatureEd

The Museum houses one of the world’s most important dinosaur collections. From Dippy the diplodocus to Sophie the Stegosaurus, it has spanned millions of years.🦖 

This Imilac meteorite is 4.5 billion years old - as old as the solar system itself. 😮 As beautiful as this piece is, it tells us a great deal about our planet and its early history. In fact, pallasite meteorites, like the Imilac, formed in the asteroid belt, within asteroids, at a time when planets were only just coming together. Have you seen this slice of meteorite in the Museum? Find it in Hintze Hall on your next visit.

Did you know there was once a time when a 12 foot tall ground sloth walked the earth? While traveling aboard HMS Beagle, Charles Darwin discovered the skull of this creature on the Argentinian Coast. The Megatherium americanum, meaning 'great beast from America' was up to 10 times bigger than the sloth we’ve come to know today. You can see the full Megatherium skeleton cast in our Fossil Marine Reptiles gallery so you can see how you measure up!

Calling all photography lovers! 📷 On 13 October, Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Wildscreen are joining up to host #WildPhotos in Bristol, UK and online, exploring the triumphs and challenges of capturing nature in photography. We'll be covering topics like: ❤️ Can wildlife photography encourage empathy and engagement? 💰 How do you pitch story ideas and secure funding for your photography? 🔮 Is the future video or photography? Wherever you are in the world, join us for an inspiring programme of talks and panels with 20+ incredible speakers: https://brnw.ch/21wN8YH With thanks to headline sponsor @MPB.com

What a brilliant night for nature and collaboration! 💚 We're still reeling from Monday's unforgettable event kicking us off on the road to the COP16 Conference on Biological Diversity in Colombia later this year. It was wonderful to see new and old friends from the Colombian Embassy to the United Kingdom, WWF-UK, Defra, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and many other organisations committed to protecting the world's vital biodiversity, while celebrating the cultural and scientific links between Colombia and the UK. We were left feeling inspired and fired up to try and make the biggest positive influence we can at COP16. Let us know in the comments below if you or your organisation will be there too!