Molluscs

Detachable, autonomous penis arms – need we say more?

The iconic marine molluscs might be alive today had Earth not been struck by a meteorite.

Named after its prominent ear-like fins, there's much more to this fascinating octopus than its adorable appearance.

The fossil uncovered in Montana suggests the ancestor of all squid and octopus had 10 arms, with some of these then lost by its descendants.

Scientists have only just begun to reveal what the lives of giant and colossal squid are like in the past two decades.

They have blue blood, three hearts and a doughnut-shaped brain. But these aren’t even the most unusual discoveries made about octopuses!

Blue-ringed octopuses are stunning animals. But their flashy rings are not an idle threat. 

The often tightly wound shells of ammonites may be a familiar sight, but how much do you know about the animals that once lived inside?

Brimming with enthusiasm for the natural world, even Charles Darwin didn't always get it right.

The Museum's giant squid specimen so inspired one visiting artist that she felt compelled to draw it. Life size. 

Curator Jon Ablett tells the tale of how an elusive monster from the deep came to be one of our popular attractions.

Conch snails make death-defying leaps to evade deadly predators.

‘I love snails and slugs! I just think they’re fascinating,’ says Jon Ablett, our Curator of Molluscs. 

Think you know shells? The ones you see at the beach are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Meet the brightly coloured sea slugs committing serial stinging-cell crimes.

Scientists have developed new adhesives inspired by some very sticky slugs.

Studying an ancient extinction could help at-risk mussels, scallops and clams today.

Conch snails make death-defying leaps to evade deadly predators.

New research reveals that damage to these environments is pushing freshwater animals to the edge of extinction.

The story of how animals first set foot out of the water and onto land just became more complex.

Detachable, autonomous penis arms – need we say more?

The iconic marine molluscs might be alive today had Earth not been struck by a meteorite.

As soon as you scratch the surface, the weirder and weirder bivalves get.

‘I love snails and slugs! I just think they’re fascinating,’ says Jon Ablett, our Curator of Molluscs. 

Bivalves have been touted as a food of the future – but wild populations might not last that long.

The pattern of diversity in the deep sea is more complex than first thought.

The bivalves appear to have been left behind in history’s biggest ever burst of evolution.

Meet the creatures that really are part of your world.

Named after its prominent ear-like fins, there's much more to this fascinating octopus than its adorable appearance.

Explore our collections and discover some of the many specimens you won't see on a regular visit to the Museum. 

A new study reveals that there are many ways these animals bore through solid rock, but a lack of habitat may lock them into an evolutionary dead end.

Native mussels in the River Thames are in decline, with some species having disappeared since a landmark study in 1964.

Algae and bacteria were on the menu for the early animal Kimberella shortly before it was buried over 500 million years ago.

The fossil uncovered in Montana suggests the ancestor of all squid and octopus had 10 arms, with some of these then lost by its descendants.

Scientists have only just begun to reveal what the lives of giant and colossal squid are like in the past two decades.

Blue-ringed octopuses are stunning animals. But their flashy rings are not an idle threat. 

The often tightly wound shells of ammonites may be a familiar sight, but how much do you know about the animals that once lived inside?

Want to explore the life lurking in seashore rock pools? Find out what you need and what you might see.

Want to find out what small creatures are crawling around your garden? Follow our steps to set up a simple pitfall trap.

Weeping trees, teeth stronger than Kevlar and one of Earth's most spectacular natural events are all shaped by the Moon.

Much of the ocean remains unexplored, but scientists at the Museum are helping unravel the mysteries of the world beneath the waves.

Discover the important contributions made by one of London's first woman geologists.

They include new dinosaurs, an ancient wombat and a giant shark.

They have blue blood, three hearts and a doughnut-shaped brain. But these aren’t even the most unusual discoveries made about octopuses!

Scientists have developed new adhesives inspired by some very sticky slugs.

Go on a virtual fossil hunt along Charmouth Beach.

Meet some of the animals whose search for a mate may actually be physically painful.

Meet the brightly coloured sea slugs committing serial stinging-cell crimes.

By improving our knowledge of what is living in the area, it will be easier to monitor the effects of future mining.

Watch Andreia Salvador, Curator of Marine Mollusca, take a look at one of the Museum's most extraordinary and precious pearls.

A study of aquatic snails that carry the parasitic disease schistosomiasis has identified infection hotspots around part of Africa's Lake Victoria that could be targeted to reduce infection.

The Museum's giant squid specimen so inspired one visiting artist that she felt compelled to draw it. Life size. 

Curator Jon Ablett tells the tale of how an elusive monster from the deep came to be one of our popular attractions.