Grant Museum of Zoology

The Grant Museum of Zoology is a fascinating museum in central London I’d somehow never heard of. It’s full of curiosities and pieces of dead things in glass jars. A great place to spend a rainy winter afternoon.

A sponge specimen of Geordia norvegica inside a glass vial.

Geordia norvegica

2019/03/02
1/90s at f/3, 105mm, ISO 6400, Nikon D800

Visitors are invited to adopt a specimen - for a year or for life - a unique gift idea for sure. They welcome photography - but with copious amounts of glass and poor lighting it’s a real challenge.

Five glass microscope slides filled with various specimens. They each have cream labels and handwritten notes.

2019/03/02
1/180s at f/3.2, 105mm, ISO 100, Nikon D800

The most popular exhibit by far was a small room (about 1m square) filled along the walls with annotated glass slides. Instagram photos from the museum are filled with shots from this one area.

Small skeletons on display behind glass.

2019/03/02
1/30s at f/2, 28mm, ISO 2200, Nikon D800

Small cork capped vials of bone fragments stacked end to end, row upon row.

2019/03/02
1/30s at f/3.3, 28mm, ISO 720, Nikon D800

A close up of a hornbill skull. The top of the beak has a sponge like quality.

A hornbill skull.

2019/03/02
1/60s at f/3.3, 105mm, ISO 450, Nikon D800

Shot at the Grant Museum of Zoology in London.