Mammals

Mammals

Explore the rich diversity of mammals, from polar bears to pygmy shrews in the Mammals gallery.

See fossils and skeletons of extinct animals alongside specimens of their living relatives. Come face-to-face with the extinct sabre-toothed cat, see the unique duck-billed platypus, and compare the anatomy of a horse with a human.

Star specimens and exhibits

  • Cynognathus, the ancient mammal predecessor with reptile features
  • the extinct giant Diprotodon from Australia
  • mammals with pouches and those without teeth
  • see big cats and wild dogs
  • explore the relationship between pandas and bears

Explore the galleries with the Museum map

Find out how to get around with the Museum map. There are four zones to discover.

Discover: mammals

Oceans

Secrets of the deepest-diving whales

Beaked whales can dive 2,000 metres below the ocean's surface. Why and how do they do it?

Anthropocene

Could giraffes become extinct?

Mammals expert Richard Sabin explains why giraffe numbers have plummeted in the past 15 years.

Collections

Colour in the collections: reindeer eye

Discover one of the more unusual colourful specimens at the Museum: a colour-changing marvel that transformed with the seasons.

Oceans

Investigating whale strandings

Museum scientist Rebecca Lyal shares her experiences studying whale and dolphin strandings along the British coast.

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