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Welcome to Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Following Government advice relating to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) the Museum will be closed until further notice. Please check this page for further information.

We're thrilled you're here. The Museum was founded in 1860, and today it holds an internationally-significant collection of natural history specimens and archives. Housed in a stunning neo-Gothic building inspired by the Pre-Raphaelites, the Museum is home to a lively programme of research, teaching and public events that we'd love you to get involved with.

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Easter Activities

We're getting all eggcited about eggs this Easter and have some egg inspired crafts and challenges which you can try out at home. Have a crack at some of these and let us know how you get on.

Join in 'More Than A Doodle' and create a Museum-inspired masterpiece

Find out more about #MoreThanADoodle, a new digital campaign to inspire Museum-inspired creative projects.

first amber excavation in the el soplao outcrop cantabria n spain in 2008 credit igme ub

Blog: Excavating Amber

Dr Ricardo Perez-De-La Fuente goes on amber excavations in northern Spain, an event he is accustomed to, and in this blog he gives us insight into what the process involves.

Blog: Through the Looking Glass

“...too good to be forgotten.” Read the new blog by our Senior Archives & Library Assistant about archiving the contents of the current displays.

HOPE for the Future: Heritage, Outreach and Preservation of Entomology

As part of this project we will:

Rehouse and document over one million British insects with volunteers and new apprentices.
Design and deliver a wide reaching learning and community programme at the Museum and beyond.
Restore and make accessible our historic Pre-Raphaelite-designed Westwood Room.
Made possible by the generosity of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Blog: Thread-like associations connected ancient animals more than half-a-billion years ago

How did fern-like rangeomorphs colonise large areas of the sea floor over 500 million years ago? Dr Frankie Dunn has shown in new research that the findings are in the filaments when it comes to the First Animals. Read her new blog about the research.

Blog: Diving into deep time

Our current First Animals exhibition is extending its run until 1 September, and to mark the extension our Research Fellow Imran Rahman takes a look at how animal life in the ancient oceans was brought to life in our Cambrian Diver interactive installation.

Cambrian sea floor, Yunnan Province, China - 518 million years ago.

First Animals exhibition

12 July 2019 - 1 September 2020

Animal life first evolved in the oceans over half a billion years ago. Exceptional fossils from across the globe help to tell the remarkable story of the origin of animals.

Free and unticketed.

What's on

There's always something on at the Museum; from object handling to lectures, our lively programme of events offers something for all ages - families, young people, and adults.

Secondary schools young people at the Museum

Visiting with a group

Groups of larger than ten (including school groups and foreign language/summer school groups), must book in advance.

Join Natural History Investigators

We're now open for this years' application for 'Natural History Investigators' (suitable for key stage 4 students). Investigators interested in the natural world have an opportunity to pursue an extended project of their choice. Investigators meet on Saturdays from 10.30am to 12.30pm for ten weeks.

Early career opportunities

We welcome approaches from postdoctoral researchers carrying out collections-based research in these areas who are interested in holding externally funded fellowships in the Museum. For applications for Leverhulme Early Career Fellowships in 2020, we ask that potential applicants send us a one-page summary of their planned research, including details of how they will make use of collections and other facilities at the Museum, together with a CV with up to five best publications highlighted by 30th June 2019.