The Grant Museum of Zoology

Zoological Collections at UCL

The Grant Museum is the only remaining university zoological museum in London. It houses around 55,000 specimens, covering the whole Animal Kingdom. Founded in 1827 as a teaching collection, the museum is packed full of skeletons, mounted animals and specimens preserved in fluid.

Many of the species are now endangered or extinct including the Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, the Quagga, and the Dodo.

Collection Highlights

The Grant Museum has selection of spectacular glass models made by the Blaschka family in the late 1800s. The museum also contains many of Robert Grant's original specimens as well as those of Thomas Henry Huxley. The Grant Museum's collection of Sir Victor Negus's bisected heads are both arresting and beautiful and are reminiscent of the work of the artist Damien Hirst.

To see some of the most important specimens in the museum, click here.

History of the collection

The museum has a rich history dating back to over 170 years, find out more about it by clicking here.

Grant Archive

Robert Grant's university correspondence, many of his papers and lectures can be found in the UCL Special Collections, click here to visit the Special Collections website.

Entomology Collection

The Grant Museum has a large insect collection largely dating from the late 1800s. Click here for more information.