Biodiversity

12 DISPLAYS

BIODIVERSITY

How many species of life are there? Why is biodiversity important for the health of our planet? And just how similar are humans and bananas?

Opened between 2022 and 2024, our new displays on biodiversity showcase the variety of life on Earth and consider important questions about preserving this diversity for future generations.

The twelve new displays in the Museum's centre court use hundreds of specimens to show diversity in the natural world. They examine what we mean by biodiversity, how we measure it, why it is important, and how it changes over time.

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Arthropods and their huge diversity of size

Encounter arthropods and their staggering diversity. In the great scheme of nature, size matters. The size difference...

Encounter arthropods and their staggering diversity. In the great scheme of nature, size matters. The size difference between the smallest and largest arthropods is greater than that...

Encounter arthropods and their staggering diversity. In the great scheme of nature, size matters. The size difference between the smallest and largest arthropods is greater than that between the Earth and the S...

Encounter arthropods and their staggering diversity. In the great scheme of nature, size matters. The size difference between the smallest and largest arthropods is greater than that between the Earth and the Sun.

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Biodiversity research at Wytham Woods

A wooded area just outside Oxford is one of the most intensively studied field research sites in the world. Find...

A wooded area just outside Oxford is one of the most intensively studied field research sites in the world. Find out more about the fifty years of biodiversity research at Wytham Woods...

A wooded area just outside Oxford is one of the most intensively studied field research sites in the world. Find out more about the fifty years of biodiversity research at Wytham Woods through a closer look at badger...

A wooded area just outside Oxford is one of the most intensively studied field research sites in the world. Find out more about the fifty years of biodiversity research at Wytham Woods through a closer look at badger population studies.

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Classifying the abundance of life

One way to measure biodiversity is to record the number of species – but what do we mean by this? Discover ways...

One way to measure biodiversity is to record the number of species – but what do we mean by this? Discover ways that we classify the abundance of life, and how this work is an ongoing...

One way to measure biodiversity is to record the number of species – but what do we mean by this? Discover ways that we classify the abundance of life, and how this work is an ongoing process of new scientific...

One way to measure biodiversity is to record the number of species – but what do we mean by this? Discover ways that we classify the abundance of life, and how this work is an ongoing process of new scientific discoveries.

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Conserving Oxford's swifts

A good news story of how a vulnerable bird species can be saved from extinction. Find out more about the recovery...

A good news story of how a vulnerable bird species can be saved from extinction. Find out more about the recovery programme local to the Museum to tackle rapid decline of the Common...

A good news story of how a vulnerable bird species can be saved from extinction. Find out more about the recovery programme local to the Museum to tackle rapid decline of the Common Swift.

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Earth’s five mass extinctions

Discover what we mean when we talk about mass extinctions through a timeline that explores the five mass extinction...

Discover what we mean when we talk about mass extinctions through a timeline that explores the five mass extinction events in Earth’s history, and an introduction to how human activity...

Discover what we mean when we talk about mass extinctions through a timeline that explores the five mass extinction events in Earth’s history, and an introduction to how human activity has caused the extinction...

Discover what we mean when we talk about mass extinctions through a timeline that explores the five mass extinction events in Earth’s history, and an introduction to how human activity has caused the extinction of species in our history.

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How to categorise coral

Explore the Kingdom of Animalia and discover how to categorise a coral. Sometimes, animals are easy to identify....

Explore the Kingdom of Animalia and discover how to categorise a coral. Sometimes, animals are easy to identify. Other times, they may be surprising, unfamiliar, or even invisible...

Explore the Kingdom of Animalia and discover how to categorise a coral. Sometimes, animals are easy to identify. Other times, they may be surprising, unfamiliar, or even invisible to the naked eye. Within the...

Explore the Kingdom of Animalia and discover how to categorise a coral. Sometimes, animals are easy to identify. Other times, they may be surprising, unfamiliar, or even invisible to the naked eye. Within the kingdom ‘Animalia’ are creatures whose lives

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Networks of animal interactions

Animals live in dynamic networks interacting with the other species their environment. Explore how thinking about...

Animals live in dynamic networks interacting with the other species their environment. Explore how thinking about the ecosystem of a whale helps us to understand the complexity of biodiversity...

Animals live in dynamic networks interacting with the other species their environment. Explore how thinking about the ecosystem of a whale helps us to understand the complexity of biodiversity as a series of re...

Animals live in dynamic networks interacting with the other species their environment. Explore how thinking about the ecosystem of a whale helps us to understand the complexity of biodiversity as a series of relationships.

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Reading the Tree of Life

The astounding diversity we see today – from bacteria to barnacles, people to plants – is all connected. The...

The astounding diversity we see today – from bacteria to barnacles, people to plants – is all connected. The Tree of Life display places specimens from the museum onto a diagram...

The astounding diversity we see today – from bacteria to barnacles, people to plants – is all connected. The Tree of Life display places specimens from the museum onto a diagram that aims to represent these...

The astounding diversity we see today – from bacteria to barnacles, people to plants – is all connected. The Tree of Life display places specimens from the museum onto a diagram that aims to represent these relationships and the idea of common ancestors.

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Shell variation in molluscs

Spiral through the forms of molluscs and learn how bivalve shells protect coastlines as well as the organisms ...

Spiral through the forms of molluscs and learn how bivalve shells protect coastlines as well as the organisms inside.

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The colourful world of insects

Seeing life in colour with pigments and structural hues through a closer look at the colourful wings of insect...

Seeing life in colour with pigments and structural hues through a closer look at the colourful wings of insects.

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The incredible diversity of 'skin'

Introducing the many and varied forms of integument – the protective interface between a vertebrate and its ...

Introducing the many and varied forms of integument – the protective interface between a vertebrate and its environment.

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The tragedy of the Tasmanian Tiger

Discover why the future of biodiversity is in our hands, through a closer look at the story of the thylacine. Reflect...

Discover why the future of biodiversity is in our hands, through a closer look at the story of the thylacine. Reflect on why we need an inclusive approach to biodiversity science to...

Discover why the future of biodiversity is in our hands, through a closer look at the story of the thylacine. Reflect on why we need an inclusive approach to biodiversity science to ensure a biodiverse future.