Identification forums
Welcome
Welcome to the Museum's identification forum where amateur naturalists and experts can ask questions about all aspects of UK biodiversity. You can share identification tips on UK plants, animals, rocks and minerals, and Museum experts will help to answer your queries and identify your specimens.
Whether you've found a strange looking insect in your garden, or uncovered a fossil on the beach, this is the place to find out more about it. Simply choose the relevant forum below and ask your question.
Identification forums-
Bug forum
Ask questions and share identification tips about all types of British bugs, from bees to beetles and wasps to woodlice. Museum insect-experts are on hand to answer your questions.
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On the seashore identification forum
Discuss seashore life and ask the experts for help identifying your finds including seaweeds, crabs, shells and animal bones. What unusual life might you find?
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Fossils and rocks identification forum
Fossils are a key to finding out about species that lived in the past. If you find a rock or fossil you would like to know more about, post your question here and our experts may be able to help.
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Bones, teeth and skulls identification forum
It can be quite a challenge to identify which part of the skeleton a bone belongs to, but our experts may be able to help. If you find a bone, tooth or skull then ask your question here.
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All animal life identification forum
Animal life is very diverse and includes everything from snails to snakes, elephants to echinoderms, badgers to bitterns, and squirrels to sun-stars. Ask Museum experts for help identifying them.
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Your habitat - home and garden species identification forum
We share our homes, gardens and local areas with all sorts of creatures from the natural world. Find out what wildlife you could be living with and let us help you identify it.
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Plant identification forum
Post your photos here and ask questions about British plants, from seaweeds to sundews and bluebells to bracken. Museum experts will help identify them for you.
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Foreign finds identification forum
Holidays or visits abroad bring new opportunities to observe nature, and to look for species you might not find at home. Tell us about the interesting creatures you discover outside the UK.
Latest posts in the identification forums
Re: Beetle in Mallorca - what species?
Taking into account range, I think the most likely candidate is Brachycerus barbarus.Thank you very ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 12:09:50Re: Identification help needed please.
Looks to me like a species of Lilac, were the pictures taken this year and are you in the south of t...
Wed, 22 May 2013 09:55:07Re: IDENTIFY FRENCE TREE
There is a list of trees and shrubs in the Thymelaceae link above. Also tryStyrax (http://en.wi...
Wed, 22 May 2013 04:58:21Re: IDENTIFY FRENCE TREE
HI THANKS FOR THE INFO BUT NOT KNOWING MUCH ABOUT TREE AND PLANTS ect.CAN YOU ADVISE A NAME OF A TRE...
Tue, 21 May 2013 18:37:59carder bee?
Another bee, this time seen on holiday in Cornwall - it crashed into a car tyre just where I was sta...
Tue, 21 May 2013 16:52:08Re: Identification help needed please.
Useful further photos - thanks for them and for answers to my questions.Some hints of Cotoneaster......
Tue, 21 May 2013 15:18:53Re: Identification help needed please.
Many thanks for taking the time and trouble to reply. I've attached further photographs which may ma...
Tue, 21 May 2013 15:13:31Re: IDENTIFY FRENCE TREE
I think it may be related to Daphne (4-petalled, tubular flowers with sctrong scent).But in your pla...
Tue, 21 May 2013 05:32:27
Identification experts
A team of Museum scientists who run the Identification and Advisory Service will help to answer your identification queries. They work in the new Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity.
Their special interests include fossils, rocks, plants, insects and other creatures.
