National Museum of Natural History, Mdina MALTA

24/06/2026

📢 Estiża sal-Ħadd 19 ta’ Lulju! 😍

B’talba popolari, il-wirja ‘In-Natura fil-Folklor Malti’ se tkompli għaddejja għal ftit aktar fil-Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Istorja Naturali, l-Imdina. Skopri kif in-natura ssir ġrajja – minn leġġendi u twemmin sa tifsiriet moħbija ta’ pjanti u annimali ta’ kuljum.

✨ Ejja u esperjenzaha qabel tagħlaq!
🔗 Aktar dettalji hawn: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/nature-in-maltese-folklore/

📢 Extended until Sunday 19th July! 😍

Due to popular demand, the exhibition ‘Nature in Maltese Folklore’ will run a little longer at the National Museum of Natural History, Mdina. Discover how nature becomes story – from legends and beliefs to the hidden meanings behind everyday plants and animals.

✨ Come and experience it before it closes!
🔗 More details here: heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/nature-in-maltese-folklore/

National Museum of Natural History, Mdina MALTA

17/06/2026

😱 Happening soon at the museum… for kids 6+! 🐀🪳🐈 Book now before it fills up!

This event forms part of the Student Summer Programme. On 2nd July, … Continued

16/06/2026

A welcome visitor to our courtyard fountain: the Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator), one of Europe’s largest and most striking dragonflies. 🐉

Even the smallest water features can provide a resting place for wildlife!

Scientific name: Anax imperator
English name: Blue Emperor
Maltese name: Mazzarell Sultan

A stunning female emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) rests gracefully on a green lily pad. This vibrant macro shot showcases the dragonfly's brilliant apple-green thorax, massive compound eyes, and uniquely patterned blue-and-brown abdomen. Perched delicately at the water's edge, she is actively ovipositing—dipping the tip of her abdomen beneath the surface to inject eggs into the aquatic vegetation.

Technical Details: Nikon D5300 + Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR Macro, ISO400, f5.6, 1/500sec, 157mm (equivalence on crop sensor)

08/06/2026

🦋 The skies around Rabat and Mdina are alive with butterflies!

Over the past few days, we have been witnessing a remarkable migration of the Painted Lady butterfly (Farfett tax-Xewk, Vanessa cardui), one of the world’s most famous migratory insects. Millions of these beautiful travellers are passing over Malta as they continue their extraordinary journey across continents. Among them, keen observers may also spot smaller numbers of the familiar Small White (Farfett tal-Kaboċċi, Pieris rapae), another species currently on the move.

These migrations remind us that Malta lies on an important natural crossroads, connecting Africa and Europe not only for birds, but also for countless insects.

Have you spotted any migrating butterflies lately? Share your observations and photos in the comments! 🦋✨

31/05/2026

Final month of our temporary exhibition!

16/05/2026

Yesterday’s curatorial museum archives tour was a great experience, and we are still overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and curiosity shown by everyone who joined us! The engaged expressions, thoughtful questions, and genuine excitement reminded us why our work matters so much.

Your support and participation encourage us to continue making the knowledge, history, and science in our care more accessible to all.

We look forward to welcoming you again soon for more discoveries behind the scenes! 📚🌿✨

(Special thanks to Stefan Azzopardi for sharing his pictures!)

11/05/2026

✨ Thank you for the feature, GuideMeMalta.com!

🌿 Dear visitors, you have until the end of June to catch our current exhibition. Grab your friends and make your plans now! 🐦‍⬛

The exhibition is running until the 30th June!

02/05/2026

A souvenir from Malta’s ancient ocean… in Dublin! 🇲🇹➡️🇮🇪

Spotted at the National Museum of Ireland, this is a fossil tooth of the giant shark Otodus megalodon, collected in Malta by H.W. Feilden.

Feilden studied Malta closely, even publishing a work on local landsnails (1879) and some notes on local geology.

From a prehistoric sea, to a 19th-century naturalist, to a museum far from home: this is how museum objects carry stories across generations.

30/04/2026

Today we revisited one of our more unusual historical collections: rock-boring bivalves! 🪨🐚

Among the highlights is a remarkable specimen of Bryopa melitensis, originally collected from the Grand Harbour and attributed with certainty to the Maltese naturalist Giuseppe Mamo (1793–1865). This species is extraordinary: it lives embedded within a self-excavated rock chamber, forming a calcareous tube that protrudes outward to interact with its environment.

This particular specimen is not only scientifically important but historically irreplaceable, as it may be the only object left in Malta (and the second worldwide) bearing Mamo’s own calligraphy. See if you can make it out in the second picture!

While at least this specimen can be firmly linked to Mamo, others in the collection may also trace back to his work: a possibility we continue to investigate 🔍

Collections like this remind us how much knowledge can be locked inside even the most unassuming stone.