Our Natural World
The diversity of life is astonishing, and the world around us is full of incredible animals and plants. To understand the amazing forms of our planet, past and present, scientists have studied the variety of natural life often using museum collections. The natural science collections of Hull Museums comprise over 20,000 specimens, gathered over the last two centuries. East Yorkshire is teeming with wildlife and the collections reflect the main diversity of animals, plants, rocks, minerals and fossils from across the region. #SUBHEADING#Zoology Collection#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE# Zoology is a branch of biology dealing specifically with animals. The science was first established in German and English universities, and was often closely connected to medical training. Zoology collections include skins, skeletons and taxidermy (stuffed and mounted) specimens of mammals, reptiles, birds and their eggs, as well as collections of shells. Zoology also incorporates entomological collections which are insects preserved in spirit or pinned in drawers. Insects date back 400 million years and are the most diverse group of animals on earth; some 75% of all animal species are insects. The British diversity of insects is reflected in the museums collection, ranging from Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants) to Coleoptera (beetles) and Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). #SUBHEADING#Botany Collection#SUBHEADINGEND##IMAGE#Botany is the scientific study of plant life, examining their growth, reproduction and evolutionary relationships. The study of plants began with tribal lore, used to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants. Plants are often collected and stored in a herbarium, preserving the plants as dried and pressed specimens. The museum holds many herbaria from mosses, ferns and conifers to flowering plants. Local collections include Dawson's seaweeds, H.D. Stanley's grasses and flowering plants and Eva Crackles' extensive collection of the flora from East Yorkshire. #SUBHEADING#Geology Collection#SUBHEADINGEND# Geology is the scientific study of the 4.6 billion years of earth history and literally means 'discourse about the earth'. Geology involves the study of rocks, minerals and fossils in order to understand how our planet evolved and what might happen to it in the future. #IMAGE#The geology around Hull and the East Yorkshire area is dominated by clays and chalks from the Jurassic (205 million years ago) and Cretaceous (142 million years ago) Periods, as well as glacial deposits from the Quaternary Period (1.8 million years ago). Common fossils found in the Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks around Hull are of marine invertebrates such as ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and echinoids as well as vertebrate fossils of fish, sharks and marine reptiles. The ice-age left many glacial rock deposits of boulder clay which sometimes contain woolly mammoth and woolly rhino remains. The geological collections of Hull Museums reflect the age and type of fossils found in the Hull area, as well as including a range of rock and mineral specimens and even meteorites.
What is a fossil?
Fossils are the preserved remains of once living animals and plants. Hull Museums own a variety of fossils from shells to woolly mammoth bones. Read on to find out about the different types of fossils you can find and how they are formed.
Pressed Plants and Flattened Flowers
People collect many different things, and at Hull Museums we own many herbarium collections of dried plants and flowers that have been collected from individuals across East Yorkshire. Read on to find out what a herbarium is, and how plants are preserved and stored in our collections.
Eva Crackles 1918-2007
With a passion for botany and scientific precision, Eva Crackles collected specimens of flora from the East Riding for most of her life. The Herbarium she created is part of the Museum's collections, but what was the driving force behind it? The life of Eva Crackles can be explored here.
Nature's Medicine Cabinet
Plants, herbs and spices have been used by humans for hundreds of years as natural medicines. It is believed that these traditional medicines are still used today as a complimentary method to synthetic medicines. Read on to find out more about the use of plants today as natural medicines.
History of the Hull & East Riding Museum
This narrative tells the story of the Hull and East Riding Museum which is located in what is now known as Hull's Museum Quarter.
Meteorites - Hot Rocks From Space
The Earth is constantly bombarded by the debris of space, with thousands of meteorites falling every year. Discover how meteorites can give us an insight into the birth of the Solar System and the history and composition of our own planet.
Toothpaste to Toasters, Matches to Make-up (part 1)
Discover the surprising ways we use minerals in our day-to-day lives, often without realising it. From the glitter in your make-up to the whiteness of your teeth, some minerals are useful for all sorts of things. Read on to see how many times you use these minerals every day.
