What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 4:30pm Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm Thursday 10am - 4:30pm Friday 10am - 4:30pm Saturday 10am - 4:30pm Sunday 12pm - 4:30pm

Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

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Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

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The University Museum of Zoology is home to a huge variety of recent and fossil animals.
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Displays trace the evolution of animal life, and admission is free.For further information visit www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk

20/10/2026

LIVING LINKS is now on! This new exhibition at the Museum & at Cambridge University Botanic Garden has been curated by Year 12 students from across the UK. It explores our connection with nature - all the text & artwork has been created by the students - read more on our blog https://ow.ly/C00050ZZkKJ Entry FREE

14/10/2026

📢DATE FOR YOUR DIARY: Autumn Family Day - Thurs 29 Oct, 10am to 4.30pm. Pop in to handle real specimens, or do our Museum Trail - all about animal colours 🦊 All activities & Museum entry FREE. Hope to see you there! 🙂 Shop & Café also open 🦊

25/09/2026

Did you know that the Museum of Zoology has been on the same site since 1865?
The Museum started life as two separate collections: a Museum of Comparative Anatomy and the collection of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

In 1865 the Museum of Comparative Anatomy and Zoology was built on the New Museums Site to house both of these collections. Most of the collections were acquired between 1865 and 1915, although we continue to collect new material each year.

The oldest collection in the museum derives from Sir Busick Harwood (1750–1814), Professor of Anatomy from 1785. A founding fellow of Downing College, Harwood was a pioneer of blood transfusions.

Specimens of kangaroo and emu, donated in 1814, are amongst the earliest examples to have reached Britain from Australia.

Much of our Darwin collection found its way to the Museum through the work of Adam Sedgwick (1785–1873) and John Henslow (1796–1861), founders of the Cambridge Philosophical Society and mentors to Charles Darwin (1809–1882).

Today the Museum is home to Cambridge's largest specimen, our iconic fin whale, which the Museum has owned since 1866. Much of our collection is used for research by students and academics across the world.

Museum entry is FREE, we also have a shop and café on site. We look forward to welcoming you soon! 🙂

16/09/2026

Would you like to help create a Museum of Zoology trail?

We are working on our new trail Nature Through her Eyes, which showcases the amazing research being undertaken by some of the brilliant women in the Department of Zoology, and we would like your feedback!

Read our pilot version of the trail and complete our short survey before the deadline on Sunday 15th November for your chance to feed into the final design!

Find the trail and link to the online survey on our blog:
https://museumofzoologyblog.com/2026/09/16/design-a-museum-trail-nature-through-her-eyes/

14/09/2026

📢Don't miss these events coming up at the Museum!

🐧 Pride in Nature Tour: Sunday 27 Sept at 1pm.
Our volunteer guides share their personal selection of fascinating stories about gender and s*x in the animal world at the Museum of Zoology. Everyone welcome.

🐳From Darwin to Dodos Gallery Tour: Friday 2 Oct at 3pm
Why is there a fin whale skeleton in Cambridge? What can we learn from our dodo skeleton? What did Darwin collect here and on the Voyage of the Beagle, and what can these collections tell us about him and is ideas on evolution? Hear these stories and more on a guided tour around the Museum of Zoology. Everyone welcome.

🦁Animal Tails: Fossil Fun: Friday 2 Oct, 10.30am & 11.30am
Roar like a dinosaur discover fabulous fossils in the Museum of Zoology. Listen to stories of dinosaurs, find out about fossil footprints, and feel a real mammoth tooth. Suitable for ages 2-5.

All FREE - please book ahead. See our website for details. https://ow.ly/3Map50ZNmhs

02/09/2026

🐧 Pride in Nature tours are back! 🐧Our expert volunteer guides share their personal selection of fascinating stories about gender & s*x in the animal world. Next tour is Sun 27 September at 1pm. Tours are FREE. Places limited, book ahead.
https://ow.ly/1z3N50ZIjkN

29/08/2026

🦋Are you in Cambridge this Bank Holiday Monday?🐧 Fancy seeing a whale, dodo, giraffe, giant ground sloth, platypus, penguin, butterflies, spiders, crabs, corals, a whole room of British birds? 🐦Look no further! We're open from 12 until 4.30pm. Entry FREE

28/08/2026

📢Calling all 2-5 year olds! Roar like a lion & move like a giraffe as we go on safari around the Museum of Zoology. Plus make your own finger puppet! Book your FREE place for our next Animal Tails session on Fri 4 Sept. https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/events/animal-tails-roaring-lions-dancing-giraffes

26/08/2026

🐳Create your own sea creature this Thurs 27 Aug, handle real corals, have a go at our quiz & follow an Under The Sea trail. Plus have you entered our competition with the Grand Arcade yet? You could win a cuddly toy of your own design - just ask at reception for a form. All FREE! Everyone welcome🙂

24/08/2026

📢We're OPEN Bank Holiday Mon 31 Aug, 12 noon - 4.30pm. Drop by to view Cambridge's largest specimen, our iconic fin whale. Or perhaps you'd like to see our dodo skeleton (possibly the most complete dodo skeleton in the world!). PLUS a lot, lot more😉 Entry FREE! Photo: Dodo ©J Garget

Address

Downing Street
Cambridge
CB23EJ

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 4:30pm
Thursday	10am - 4:30pm
Friday	10am - 4:30pm
Saturday	10am - 4:30pm
Sunday	12pm - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441223336650

Website

http://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/

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