UK biodiversity collections
Brown hairstreak butterfly, Thecla betulae. This is the upper side of the female butterfly.
The Museum is home to over 70 million specimens. They come from all over the world, but among them are thousands of UK specimens.
The collections can be seen as an enormous library that helps scientists to name, study and explain the astonishing diversity of the natural world.
Search the databases below to find out about collections of plants, insects, and other animals that are behind the scenes at the Museum.
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The Cockayne collection
The Cockayne collection is the most important collection of British and Irish butterflies and moths in existence. It is made up of around half a million specimens, housed in 500 drawers.
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British zoology collections
Search the database for British zoological specimens held in the Museum's collections.
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British palaeontology collections
Search the database for British palaeontology specimens held in the Museum's collections.
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British mineralogy collections
Search the database for British mineralogy specimens held in the Museum's collections.
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Until 1938 whale carcasses were buried in the Museum grounds so that their flesh would decay leaving only the skeletons.
