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You can name the Museum's cutest members of staff
During the next month, the Museum will receive London's fuzziest lawnmowers.
Drafted in from the London Wetland Centre in Barnes to help with the weeding, the greyface Dartmoor sheep play an integral role in sustainably managing the Wildlife Garden found within the grounds of the Museum.
The hardy breed was originally bred for the rugged lowlands of Devon, but is equally at home in the Museum's slice of rural life in the city.
But there are some new additions this year, as the woolly gardeners have had a bumper summer with the arrival of three adorable lambs.
This year the sheep have three lambs - although the babies are not quite ready for the Wildlife Garden yet.
The Museum has played host to a small flock of sheep every year since 1999. While the sheep now belong to the Museum, they spend most of their year over at the London Wetland Centre.
They help maintain the health and biodiversity of the chalk downland and meadow areas of the Wildlife Garden, as well as the fringes of the ponds and the orchard. The voracious eaters chomp away at the grass and plants after the wildflowers have bloomed and set seed, trampling the fallen seeds into the soil.
Visitors can see the adult sheep undertaking their important duties from 12 September until the end of October.
Occasionally, the adults need a little encouragement
Name the newcomers
Teaming up with the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust (WWT), the Museum is now asking visitors to help pick names for the newest additions to the flock.
Before suggestions of 'Sheepy McSheepface' come rolling in, it should be noted that the names must be inspired by the granite outcrops known as tors that are found dotted throughout Dartmoor National Park.
The names can be submitted here, and the lucky winners will not only see their chosen name bestowed upon one of the three lambs, but will also receive a year-long membership to the WWT London Wetland Centre among other goodies.
- Update on 31 August: The competition has now closed, but visitors to the Museum can visit the sheep from 12 September.
The sheep have been coming to the Museum since 1999.
