(Claw of Baryonyx walkeri) Baryonyx means 'heavy claw'. Unusually for a carnivorous dinosaur we know it ate fish as scientists have found fish scales and teeth with its fossil where its stomach would have been.

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Green Zone

Discover amazing facts about life, the planet, our environment and evolution in the  Green Zone .

Part of the original Natural History Museum building, see some of our earliest displays such as the historical bird collection and the outstanding collection of minerals housed in original Victorian wooden cabinets.

  • Diplodocus skull in Central Hall.
    Central Hall

    See the highlights of the Museum, including the Diplodocus skeleton, a 1,300-year-old giant sequoia tree, and the coelacanth, a prehistoric fish still living in the Indian Ocean.

  • Head of an ichthyosaur fossil
    Fossil Marine Reptiles

    Learn what was going on in the oceans while the dinosaurs roamed the Earth. See how an ichthyosaur gave birth.

  • Part of the The Fossils from Britain display
    Fossils from Britain

    View ancient creatures like trilobites and ammonites, and marvel at fossilised shark teeth.

  • Inside the Ecology gallery
    Ecology

    Explore the connections between all living things and their environments. Find out how you can live more responsibly on the planet.

  • Hawk moth hovering
    Creepy Crawlies

    Satisfy your curiosity about ants, hawk moths, termites, hermit crabs and thousands of their relatives.

  • Mauritius dodo
    Birds

    View specimens ranging from a tiny hummingbird to a giant ostrich and meet the now extinct Mauritius dodo.

  • Face of an Orang-utan, one of the great apes.
    Our Place in Evolution

    Meet the ancestors, including Homo erectus, Neanderthals and australopithecines. Who are our closest relatives? You decide...

  • Part of the collection left by Sir Arthur Russell.
    Minerals

    See sparkling gems alongside the raw minerals they come from and learn how minerals are formed.

  • Aurora diamonds © Alan Bronstein and Harry Rodman/Aurora Gems, New York. Photograph by Robert Weldon
    The Vault

    Discover the stories behind some of nature's most rare, unique and valuable treasures in the Museum's new permanent gallery.

  • Chimpanzee in the Primates gallery.
    Primates

    Get the lowdown on our nearest relatives. Find out about the slow loris and pygmy marmoset and discover what made the howler monkey famous.

  • Photographic display inside the Plant Power gallery.
    Plant Power

    Find out how plants are used to make cosmetics, cars, medicines, staple foods and much more.

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Cartoon image of a snake disappearing through closing door

Last year nearly 100,000 specimens were loaned to scientific institutions and researchers worldwide.

David Attenborough's new book of the amazing 'Life in Cold Blood' series
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