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Collection

Notice Nature Feel Joy

This gallery profiles nearly 2,000 amazing specimens from our natural history collection.

Collection Highlights

Malayan Sun Bear

This bear lived its life in captivity in a pit in a pub in Stapenhill, Burton-on- Trent. He now has a prominent place as one of the largest mammals in the Nature Gallery.

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Our Fox

Prepared by an ethical taxidermist specially for the gallery.

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The Allenton Hippo

When this 120,000 year old hippopotamus was alive Britain’s climate was very different from what it is today. It was found by workmen in Allenton in 1895 and donated to the museum soon after.

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Pangolin

This unusual scaly mammal is the most illegally traded animal in the world.

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Insect Display

This showcases just a few of the insect specimens in Derby Museums’ collection and illustrates the diversity of insect life throughout the world.

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Fossilised Ichthyosaur

This impressive 200 million year old marine reptile is nearly 2 metres long. It was found near Barrow-on-Soar in Leicestershire and has been at the Museum and Art Gallery since 1877.

About the collection

Our co-produced Notice Nature Feel Joy gallery was created with visitors and volunteers and designed to spark your curiosity to find out more. Look out for the surprising details around the gallery and enjoy the fascinating range of mammals, rocks, fossils, birds, shells, insects and skeletons.

What can I see?

There are some wonderful surprises to discover in the gallery. Meet our fabulous fox, the pangolin, the tremendous Allenton Hippo and see if you can spot the glowing scorpion. Everywhere you look is something of interest.

What can I do?

Listen to a musical piece by Richard Birkin, along with chirrups and snippets throughout the day, that fills the gallery with magical sounds. Explore the gallery with tiny magnifiers, try on a fierce ‘tooth mask’ and take a seat in our reading corner with one of our fascinating gallery guides. Don’t forget to stroke our friendly fox while you’re there!

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Derby Museums is a registered charity (no. 1149710) and company limited by guarantee (no. 08036113)