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Placental Mammal Collection

"Unveiling the Marvels of Placental Mammals: From Lucy to Sperm Whales" Step into a world where ancient creatures and modern marvels coexist

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)

Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)
A cast of the partial skeleton (nicknamed Lucy) of Australopithecus afarensis found at the Hadar, North East Ethiopia in 1974 by Donald Johanson

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Pterodactyls considered as marsupial bats

Pterodactyls considered as marsupial bats
Pterodactylus crassirostris above P. brevirostris. Plate from Note on the Pterodactyle Tribe... Paper in The Zoologist, Vol 1, 1843 by Edward Newman

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)

Australopithecus afarensis (AL 288-1) (Lucy)
A partial skeleton (nicknamed Lucy) of Australopithecus afarensis found at the Hadar, North East Ethiopia in 1974 by Donald Johanson

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Greyhound design

Greyhound design
Drawing 26 Vol 2 by Alfred Waterhouse for the ornamentation of the Natural History Museum, London, 1876. (Two separate negatives)

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Ground sloth droppings or coprolite

Ground sloth droppings or coprolite
Ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii) fossilised droppings or coprolite, 13, 000 year old specimen from the Pleistocene, Chile

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Zebra-drawn trap of Lord Walter Rothschild

Zebra-drawn trap of Lord Walter Rothschild
Rothschild broke in and trained several zebras to pull a trap, which he memorably used to visit Buckingham Palace in 1898 Date: 1898

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Ballyregan Bob, greyhound

Ballyregan Bob, greyhound
Photograph of Ballyregan Bob, the famous racing greyhound. Specimen on display at the Natural History Museum at Tring

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Smilodon fatalis, sabre-toothed cat

Smilodon fatalis, sabre-toothed cat
Skeleton of an extinct sabre-toothed cat which lived about 15, 000 years ago in North America. It was about the size of a present day lion

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937)

Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937)
Carriage drawn by three zebra and a horse, driven by Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild (1868-1937), founder of the Natural History Museum at Tring, part of the Natural History Museum, London since 1937

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Megatherium, giant ground sloth

Megatherium, giant ground sloth
Skeleton of an extinct creature that roamed cool, dry, scrub and grasslands of South America 100, 000 years ago. On display at the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Mustela nivalis, least weasel

Mustela nivalis, least weasel
Plate from a collection of pencil sketches and watercolour drawings of British mammals c. 1890-1910 by Edward Adrian Wilson (1872-1912)

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Proconsul africanus

Proconsul africanus
An illustration of the extinct primate, Proconsul africanus. Like Dendropithecus, they mostly lived in tropical forests in East Africa during the Miocene about 50 million years ago

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Homo habilis in action

Homo habilis in action
An illustration by Angus McBride showing Homo habilis using tools to kill an Antelope. Homo habilis lived in East Africa between 1.6 and 2 million years ago

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Physeter macrocephalus, Sperm whale tooth

Physeter macrocephalus, Sperm whale tooth
Sperm whale tooth

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Sketch of an elephant, with descriptive notes

Sketch of an elephant, with descriptive notes
Original watercolour drawings and illustrated MS relating to Indian Birds, forming one of a set of volumes from which the illustrated MS work by Tickell on Mammals, &c

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Mammoth skeleton drawing

Mammoth skeleton drawing
Plate 10 from Memoires de L Acadamie Imperiale des Sciences, Vol 5, 1815

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Skull of a pigmy hippo

Skull of a pigmy hippo
Model of a pigmy hippo skull from Cyprus

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Tooth from a woolly mammoth

Tooth from a woolly mammoth
Tooth from an extinct woolly mammoth, specimen from the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Pedigree of Man

Pedigree of Man
Tab XV from Ernst Haeckel (1879) The Evolution of man: a popular exposition of the principal points of human ontogeny and phylogeny, London: Kegan Paul, 2 v: ill

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Great Irish Elk, Megatherium

Great Irish Elk, Megatherium
Original artwork by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, donated by his granddaughter Mary Hawkins

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Restorations of animals from Tertiary period

Restorations of animals from Tertiary period
Original artwork by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, donated by his granddaughter Mary Hawkins

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: The Wolf by Edward Donovan

The Wolf by Edward Donovan
The Wolf, in Edward Donovans The Natural History of British Quadrupeds Volume 1. Held in the Library and Archives

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Guy (1946-1978), a western lowland gorilla

Guy (1946-1978), a western lowland gorilla
Guy the gorilla was one of London Zoos best-loved residents. After his death, he lived on as a display and research specimen at the Natural History Museum

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Connochaetes taurinus, Blue wildebeest

Connochaetes taurinus, Blue wildebeest
watercolour by William Cornwallis Harris. Entitled Catoblepas gorgon, Brindled Gnoo

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Tragelaphus strepsiceros, Greater kudu

Tragelaphus strepsiceros, Greater kudu
Watercolour by William Cornwallis Harris. Entitled Strepsiceros capensis, Koodoo

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Hunting the Giraffe by William C Harris

Hunting the Giraffe by William C Harris
Colour lithograph c. 1836 Date: circa 1836

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Giant Ground Sloth, Natural History Museum

Giant Ground Sloth, Natural History Museum
Photograph of a Skeleton of the Giant Ground Sloth (Megatherium Americanum). July 1902. Archive ref: PH/173/244 Date: 1902

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Megatherium and Glyptodon

Megatherium and Glyptodon
Sheet 5 of a series of posters by Waterhouse Hawkins c. 1862 showing Megatherium and Glyptodon. Date: circa 1862

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Anoplotherium commune & gracile, Palaeotherium

Anoplotherium commune & gracile, Palaeotherium
Sheet 4 of a series of posters called Extinct Animals by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins c. 1862. This collection of mammals could be found during the Eocene epoch some 50 million years ago

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Stuart Stammwitz working on blue whale model, 1938, The Natu

Stuart Stammwitz working on blue whale model, 1938, The Natu
Stuart Stammwitz is shown here working on the whales eye, before the model was painted

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Uintatherium skull

Uintatherium skull
Skull measures 740 mm left to right. Uintatherium, a horned ungulate from the mid Eocene of western U.S.A, stood about 1.6m at the shoulder

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Talpa europaea, European mole

Talpa europaea, European mole
Plate 123 Common Mole. Original watercolour drawing from The Naturalists Library, Mammalia, Vol. 3, 1833-1843, by Sir William Jardine (1800-1874)

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Woolly Mammoth

Woolly Mammoth
Illustration of a woolly mammoth in a snowy landscape

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Varecia variegata, ruffed lemur

Varecia variegata, ruffed lemur
LS Plate 74 of the John Reeves Collection of Zoological Drawings from Canton, China, 1774-1856

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Kita a Norwegian elkhound

Kita a Norwegian elkhound, photographed by Harry Taylor

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: 22, 000 - 30, 000 years old Venus figures

22, 000 - 30, 000 years old Venus figures
Left to right. a) In fired clay from Moravia. b) In mammoth ivory from France. The Willendorf Venus c) In limestone from Austria. d) In mammoth ivory from Ukraine

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Upper Palaeolithic tools 18 - 30, 000 years old

Upper Palaeolithic tools 18 - 30, 000 years old
L-R: a) Bone used to make needle blanks. b) Bone needle. c & d) Harpoon head and Barbed Point carved from antler. e & f) Two heads carved in mammoth ivory

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Geological Gallery Natural History Museum 1892

Geological Gallery Natural History Museum 1892
Photograph of the Geological Gallery, with American mastodon in the foreground. July 1892. Archive ref: PH/173/243 Date: 1892

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Yellow-throated marten, artwork C016 / 5897

Yellow-throated marten, artwork C016 / 5897
Yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula). Plate from the collection of drawings of mammals and birds from Nepal (1818-1858), by Bryan Houghton Hodgson (1800-1894)

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Mammal and Whale Gallery

Mammal and Whale Gallery
Models of an Asiatic elephant (left) and an African elephant (right), on display in the Mammal and Whale Gallery (number 24) at the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Loxodonta africana, African elephant

Loxodonta africana, African elephant
A close-up of an African elephant adult male bull, on display in the Mammal and Whale Gallery (number 24), at the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Plecotus sp. long-eared bat

Plecotus sp. long-eared bat
A long-eared bat in flight (a microbat belonging to the Vespertilionidae family of vesper or evening bats). Photograph published in Bats by Phil Richardson, a Natural History Museum publication, 2002

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Augustus H. Bishop with elephant tusks, May 1912

Augustus H. Bishop with elephant tusks, May 1912
Augustus Bishop arrived at the Museum in 1904, aged 23, after three years training as a taxidermist

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: The Natural History Museum at Tring

The Natural History Museum at Tring
Gallery 3 at the Natural History Museum at Tring, the sister museum of the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Common dormouse, sketch C016 / 5883

Common dormouse, sketch C016 / 5883
Common dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius). Plate from a collection of pencil sketches and watercolour drawings of British mammals circa 1890-1910 by Edward Adrian Wilson (1872-1912)

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Lynx sp. lynx

Lynx sp. lynx
Stuffed specimen from the collection of the Natural History Museum at Tring, part of the Natural History Museum, London

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Mastodon in Geological Gallery, December 1919

Mastodon in Geological Gallery, December 1919
The Guide Lecturer, John Henry Leonard, took this shot of two girls inspecting a primitive elephant or mastodon (Mammut americanus), in December 1919

Background imagePlacental Mammal Collection: Tooth from Coelodonta antiquitatis, woolly rhinoceros

Tooth from Coelodonta antiquitatis, woolly rhinoceros
This woolly rhino tooth, together with two others were found in 1668 at Chartham, near Canterbury in Kent by natural historian John Somner



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"Unveiling the Marvels of Placental Mammals: From Lucy to Sperm Whales" Step into a world where ancient creatures and modern marvels coexist. Meet Australopithecus afarensis, famously known as Lucy, our earliest ancestor in the hominin lineage. Her fossilized remains provide invaluable insights into human evolution. But the wonders don't stop there. Lord Walter Rothschild's zebra-drawn trap showcases his eccentricity and passion for wildlife conservation. Meanwhile, Ballyregan Bob, a majestic greyhound, exemplifies the elegance and speed of these domesticated placental mammals. Venture further back in time to encounter Megatherium, the colossal giant ground sloth that once roamed Earth. Its massive size leaves us awe-struck at nature's ability to create such extraordinary beings. The ferocious Smilodon fatalis with its iconic saber-like teeth takes center stage next. This fearsome sabre-toothed cat reminds us of prehistoric predators that ruled their habitats with unmatched prowess. In contrast to these formidable creatures, we have Mustela nivalis - the least weasel - showcasing how even small they can leave an indelible mark on our planet's biodiversity. Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild himself was not only a collector but also a pioneer in zoology. His contributions paved the way for scientific understanding and conservation efforts worldwide. Proconsul africanus represents an important link between primates and humans. Its existence sheds light on our common ancestry and offers glimpses into early primate behavior. Marvel at the sleek design of greyhounds; their streamlined bodies are perfectly adapted for high-speed pursuits—a testament to both natural selection and human intervention through selective breeding practices. Witness Homo habilis in action—an early member of our own genus who used tools skillfully millions of years ago—showcasing humanity's ingenuity from its very beginnings.