A cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). The cheetah has a top speed of up to 114 kilometres per hour but this can only be maintained for short distances of a few hundred metres. Their main food is mostly gazelles, impalas and other small buck and they can hunt the young of wildebeests and zebra. A cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). The cheetah has a top speed of up to 114 kilometres per hour but this can only be maintained for short distances of a few hundred metres. Their main food is mostly gazelles, impalas and other small buck and they can hunt the young of wildebeests and zebra.

Skip to page content

Primary navigation

Gallery 3

Crocodiles, crustaceans, fish, insects, large mammals and marine invertebrates

A massive elephant and two rhinos take command in the centre of this gallery and some astonishing marine animals decorate the walls. If you are squeamish, watch out as you open cabinets filled with magnificent bugs and creepy crawlies.

Angler fish

The angler fish is adapted to living in deep, dark waters. This specimen has a bioluminescent 'lure' above its cavernous mouth, which both attracts its prey and makes its dark body barely visible.

Butterflies

Beautiful butterfliesand moths from around the world are revealed when you open the specimen cupboards.

Giant Japanese spider crab

The giant Japanese spider crab has a leg span that often reaches two metres or more. It is normally found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Flees dressed as Mexican dancers

Open the doors of the specimen cupboards and see these fleas dressed as Mexican dancers. They were sold in Mexico as curiosities and these ones were made in 1905.

Saltwater crocodile

The saltwater or estuarine crocodile is the largest reptile, and possibly one of the most dangerous to humans. They are found in the Far East, Indonesia and North Australia, and live in estuaries and the nearby sea.

Tiger shark

The aggressive tiger shark will attack humans. Its stripes are most apparent on young animals and this specimen, as with many of the fish on display in this gallery, has been hand-painted.

Print version